Temperature and rate dependent constitutive behaviors of low melt Field ’s metal

Abstract

Low melting point metals such as Field’s metal and gallium are increasingly used as transition phases in stiffness-tuning soft materials and devices. Nevertheless, there is a knowledge gap on the fundamental constitutive behaviors of metals with melting points below 100℃. This letter reports the stress–strain relationships of Field’s metal at various temperatures and strain rates. This metal has the lowest melting point among metals and alloys whose constitutive behaviors have been studied systematically. Experimental results indicate that Field’s metal exhibits a strain-softening behavior, in oppose to the strain-hardening behaviors of most engineering metals and alloys. A modified Johnson–Cook model is devised in this letter to describe the constitutive behaviors of Field’s metal. The proposed model will facilitate the design and analysis of functional materials and structures consisting of Field’s metal.