On the development of a constitutive model for steel subjected to fire and explosion

Abstract

The behavior of steel under thermal and mechanical loading including high transient temperatures and strain rates (e.g., fire, creep or explosion) is extremely complex. To study this behavior, we propose a constitutive model accordance with the laws of thermodynamic, the principle of virtual power and experimental results. The thermodynamic framework considers the Clausius-Duhem inequality and maximum dissipation rate principle, as well as the theory of finite deformations, linear isotropic viscoelasticity, nonlinear isotropic and kinematic hardening, local and non-local viscoplasticity, local and non-local anisotropic viscodamage and parameters associated to material behavior dependent on loadings. The components of the thermodynamic conjugate forces are defined from the Helmholtz free energy function and the rate of energy dissipation, which are postulated considering the creep phenomenon, thermal-mechanical transient phenomenon, cyclic phenomenon and plastic wave propagation phenomenon. The balance of microforces is defined based on the principle of virtual power. A novel rule of non-associated thermo-viscoplastic flow of the Perzyna type and a novel rate dependent local and non-local damage evolution law are introduced from constitutive model. The verification of the model was carried out in two benchmark studies composed of fire tests. The predictions of the model have shown in according with the results of the experiments. A sensitivity study was also performed with a view to analysis the influence of the parameters in achieved results. From this study a simplified constitutive model is presented. Benchmark studies composed of explosion tests are part of future work.