Strain Localization Behavior Research Articles

Effect of microstructural variation on strain localization in double‐sided friction stir welded AA6061‐AA7075 joints

AbstractIn friction stir welding (FSW), the inhomogeneous microstructure significantly affects the mechanical performance of the joints. The present study investigates the influence of microstructural asymmetry along the thickness on strain localization during tensile test using the digital image correlation technique and fracture morphology for double‐sided FSW (DS‐FSW) AA6061‐AA7075 joints. In top and bottom slices of the transverse tensile sample, nonhomogenous strain localization is noted in heat affected zone (HAZ) of the advancing side (AS), that is, AA6061‐T6, and also presents higher tensile strength. However, in the middle slice of the transverse sample, larger region including thermo‐mechanically affected zone and HAZ undergoes strain localization and exhibits higher elongation at failure. In longitudinal specimens, the strain distribution is homogeneous up to uniform elongation followed by strain concentration at a localised region and fracture. Electron backscatter diffraction revealed that the extent of dynamic recrystallization on the retreating side (AA7075‐T61) is higher than that observed on the AS of the weld. The grain orientation spread map showed a high fraction of recrystallized grains at the weld centre. Presence of major shear textures components and both below the tool shoulder and weld centre regions are observed from pole figures. The recrystallized texture components P ({011}<112>), Goss ({110}<001>), Rotated Goss ({110}<110>), Cube ({001}<100>) and shear texture ({001}<110>) components is also noted at the weld centre. Middle slice both for longitudinal and transverse sample showed the finest dimple size on the fracture surfaces. The strain localization behaviour and tensile performance assessed for transverse and longitudinal samples can be helpful to find the load orientation dependency and safe design of DS‐FSW joints.

Strain localization and crack initiation behavior of a PM Ni‐based superalloy: SEM‐DIC characterization and crystal plasticity simulation

AbstractThe strain localization and crack initiation behavior of a powder metallurgy (PM) nickel‐based superalloy FGH4098 under low cycle fatigue (LCF) loads at room temperature is investigated by combining scanning electron microscope (SEM)‐digital image correlation (DIC) characterization with crystal plasticity simulation. The elastic anisotropy near annealing twin boundaries contributes to strain localization and results in high propensity of LCF failure. The effect of local microstructure on the fatigue crack initiation at {111} slip bands and tortuous crack propagation is revealed. Meanwhile, local crystal plasticity finite element cyclic deformation simulation is carried out based on explicit microstructure reconstructed from electron backscatter diffraction (EBSD) characterization. Four metrics of accumulated shear strain, effective plastic strain, shear strain energy dissipation density, and Fatemi–Socie parameter are selected as fatigue indicator parameters to predict crack initiation site. Fatemi–Socie parameter is proved to be a promising metric for crack initiation prediction.

Influence of Non-Metallic Inclusions on Local Deformation and Damage Behavior of Modified 16MnCrS5 Steel

This work investigates a ferrite matrix with multiple non-metallic inclusions to evaluate their influence on the global and local deformation and damage behavior of modified 16MnCrS5 steel. For this purpose, appropriate specimens are prepared and polished. The EBSD technique is used to record local phase and orientation data, then analyze and identify the size and type of inclusions present in the material. The EBSD data are then used to run full phase crystal plasticity simulations using DAMASK-calibrated material model parameters. The qualitative and quantitative analysis of these full phase simulations provides a detailed insight into how the distribution of non-metallic inclusions within the ferrite matrix affects the local stress, strain, and damage behavior. In situ tensile tests are carried out on specially prepared miniature dog-bone-shaped notched specimens in ZEISS Gemini 450 scanning electron microscope with a Kammrath and Weiss tensile test stage. By adopting an optimized scheme, tensile tests are carried out, and local images around one large and several small MnS inclusions are taken at incremental strain values. These images are then processed using VEDDAC, a digital image correlation-based microstrain measurement tool. The damage initiation around several inclusions is recorded during the in situ tensile tests, and damage initiation, propagation, and strain localization are analyzed. The experimental results validate the simulation outcomes, providing deeper insight into the experimentally observed trends.

Modelling of friction stir welded AA2139 aluminium alloy panels in tension and blast

Predicting the performance of welds under blast loading is challenging, particularly in alloys where the weld region is associated with significant material property gradients. This situation arises for friction stir welds of aluminium alloy AA2139, which represents an example case of a high strength aluminium alloy. To address this problem, a novel multiscale model has been developed that captures the effect of welding on the microstructure and links this to the constitutive material behaviour. The properties of the local weld regions are determined by generating equivalent microstructures in specimens of sufficient size to perform representative tensile and high strain rate compression tests. In this way, the local material properties can be obtained based on the fundamental controlling microstructure, independent of the weld configuration. The constitutive behaviour informs a finite-element model at the macro-scale in which material property gradients arising from microstructural changes are captured. The model has been demonstrated to accurately predict the local strain evolution across the weld zone and demonstrates that strain localization occurs in the heat affected zone region for both cross-weld tensile tests and air blast loading. It is shown that the gradual change in strength between weld zones must be correctly accounted for to predict the correct strain localization behaviour. The work highlights the importance of an accurate description of the variation in local material properties in determining the response of structures under blast loading.

Toward qualification of additively manufactured metal parts: Tensile and fatigue properties of selective laser melted Inconel 718 evaluated using miniature specimens

• A “microstructure unit” that can well reflect the microstructure characteristic of SLM materials is defined. • As the ratio of specimen thickness( t ) to the "microstructure unit" size( d ) is reduced below one, a dramatic decrease in tensile ductility occurs. • A criterion of t/d ≥ 4 for reliable mechanical properties determined by the miniature specimens is obtained. Combined with the topology optimization, additive manufacturing can be used to fabricate metal parts with complex shapes. However, due to the geometrical variations and microstructure heterogeneities of the additively manufactured metal parts, new standards with the use of miniature specimens are required for the evalutation of the spatial distribution of mechanical properties throughout the parts. Here, we conduct a systematic investigation on tensile and fatigue properties of selective laser melted Inconel 718 specimens with different thicknesses ranging from 0.1 mm to 1 mm. A “microstructure unit” that can well reflect the microstructure characteristic of selective laser melted materials is defined. The results reveal that premature necking with a dramatic drop in uniform elongation occurs if the ratio ( t/d ) of specimen thickness ( t ) to the "microstructure unit" size ( d ) is less than one. Premature necking is mainly attributed to the transition of strain localization behavior. We also propose a probabilistic statistical model for fatigue limit prediction based on the available fatigue data. It is recommended that the criterion of t/d ≥ 4 should be satisfied to ensure that the yield strength, the uniform elongation, and the fatigue limit determined by the miniature specimens are comparable with those determined by standard specimens. The findings may provdie a guide to the establishment of miniature specimen-based standards toward the qualification of additively manufactured metal parts.

A thermodynamically nonlocal damage model using a surface-residual-based nonlocal stress

ABSTRACT In this research, a surface-residual-based nonlocal stress was introduced into nonlocal damage theory to describe the long-range actions among microstructures that were excluded in the definition of Cauchy stress. By using the surface-residual-based nonlocal stress tensor, a thermodynamically consistent nonlocal integral damage model was established to simulate the strain localization behavior for elastic-brittle damage problems. In this model, both the strain and the damage were taken as nonlocal variables in the free energy function, and the integral-type damage constitutive relationships and the evolution equation were derived via thermodynamic laws in order to ensure the self-consistency within the thermodynamic framework. Based on the nonlocal damage formulations using a real nonlocal stress concept, we simulated the strain localization phenomenon in an elastic bar subjected to uniaxial tension. The results showed clear localizing and softening features of strain in the damage zone, and the boundary effects arising from the nonlocal surface residual were illuminated. Furthermore, the strain localization behaviors for different internal characteristic lengths were simulated, through which we found that the characteristic length was comparable to the size of the strain localization zone.

Effect of Fabric Anisotropy on Bifurcation and Shear Band Evolution in Granular Geomaterials

Strain localization, usually manifesting as shear bands, is frequently observed in geomaterials and is of the essential reason inducing the failure of geostructures. Anisotropic characteristics of soils has an important effect on the shear band behavior. This paper is devoted to study the effect of the fabric anisotropy on the initiation and evolution of the shear bands. In particular, the anisotropy is introduced to the strength parameter of the yield criterion by incorporating the material principal direction and the joint invariant of the stress tensor and the microstructure tensor. Furtherly, an elasto-plastic constitutive model considering the fabric anisotropy is established in the micropolar theory framework, and is then applied to simulate the shear bands in transversely geomaterials via three numerical examples, including the plane strain compression test, slope stability and the shallow foundation problems. Moreover, the mesh independency of the proposed model is discussed. Results show that the bifurcation, the shear bands pattern, and the bearing capacity highly depend on the material principal orientation and the anisotropic degree. Comparison with existing study indicates that the proposed model has a good performance in simulating the typical pre and post strain localization behaviors of transversely isotropic geomaterials.

Strain localization and deformation behavior in ferrite-pearlite steel unraveled by high-resolution in-situ testing integrated with crystal plasticity simulations

This paper attempts to study the microstructural stress-strain evolution and strain localization in the ferrite-pearlite steel by high-resolution experimental-numerical integrated testing. Ferrite crystal orientations measured by electron backscatter diffraction (EBSD) were mapped onto precise scanning electron microscopy (SEM) micrographs of ferrite and cementite lamellar morphologies. Furthermore, in-situ SEM tensile testing was employed to map strains during the deformation using digital image correlation (DIC) at high spatial resolutions. Finally, spectral solver-based crystal plasticity (CP) simulations loaded by the local SEM-DIC boundary conditions were performed and compared to the experimental data. Crucially, all microstructure data was carefully aligned, and strains were filtered to the same spatial resolution, measured to be as small as ~75 nm. This integrated methodology yields new insights in the high degree of plastic strain partitioning between ferrite grains and pearlite colonies, and ferrite and cementite lamellae inside pearlite. One-to-one experimental-numerical comparison augmented with the numerical variation of the ferrite constitutive model, pearlite interlamellar spacing, and lamellar orientation reveals how the ferrite-cementite strain partitioning and the onset of strain localization depend on the morphology and distribution of ferrite grains and pearlite colonies. Importantly, this comparison showcases the limitations of state-of-the-art simulations in their capability to predict specific mechanisms and correct degrees of strain heterogeneity.

Evaluation of composite action in cross laminated timber-concrete composite beams with CFRP reinforcing bar and plate connectors using Digital Image Correlation (DIC)

This research proposes new types of shear connectors made of carbon fibre reinforced polymer (CFRP) composites for effective stress transfer between the timber and concrete sections in cross laminated timber (CLT)-concrete composite beams. New shear connectors are designed and made of bidirectional carbon fibre reinforced polymer (CFRP) composite plates and crossed CFRP reinforcing bars. The mechanical performance, bending stiffness, ductility, and interfacial slippage and strain of timber-concrete composite (TCC) beams with CFRP connectors are compared with those with steel plate and screw systems through four-point flexure testing. Local slip, interfacial slip and strain behaviour are comparatively analysed for connections with equivalent axial stiffness using a Digital Image Correlation (DIC) based technique, so that relative composite behaviour could be determined. Furthermore, a cost evaluation is undertaken to compare the feasibility of proposed shear connectors for construction of TCC systems. Results from flexural tests demonstrate that CFRP rod specimens experience higher ultimate load and bending stiffness in elastic loading stage and ductility in failure while slippage at serviceability and ultimate load is minimal. These results demonstrate that CFRP reinforcing bars can be used as an alternative to existing steel plate/screw systems. Although CFRP plate connectors show lower ultimate strength, bending stiffness and ductility, the performance of the system can be further improved by using sufficient anchorage systems at the end of CFRP plate within the concrete.

Mesoscopic nature of serration behavior in high-Mn austenitic steel

We have thoroughly clarified the mesoscopic nature of serration behavior in a high-Mn austenitic steel in connection with its characteristic localized deformation. A typical high-Mn steel, Fe-22Mn-0.6C (wt. %), with a face centered cubic (FCC) single-phase structure was used in the present study. After 4 cycles of repeated cold-rolling and annealing process, a specimen with a fully recrystallized microstructure having a mean grain size of 2.0 μm was obtained. The specimen was tensile tested at room temperature at an initial strain rate of 8.3 × 10−4 s−1, during which the digital image correlation (DIC) technique was applied for analyzing local strain and strain-rate distributions in the specimen. Obtained results indicated that a unique strain localization behavior characterized by the formation, propagation and annihilation of deformation localized bands, so-called Portevin–Le Chatelier (PLC) bands, determined the global mechanical response appearing as serration on the stress-strain curve. In addition, the in-situ synchrotron XRD diffraction during the tensile test was utilized to understand what was happening in the material with respect to the PLC banding. Lattice strain of (200) plane nearly perpendicular to the tensile direction dropped when every PLC band passed through the beam position, which indicated a stress relaxation occurred inside the PLC band. At the same time, the dislocation density increased drastically when the PLC band passed the beam position, which described that the material was plastically deformed and work-hardened mostly within the PLC band. All the results obtained consistently explained the serration behavior in a mesoscopic scale. The serration behavior on the stress-strain curve totally corresponded to the formation, propagation and annihilation of the PLC band in the 22Mn-0.6C steel, and the localized deformation, i.e., the PLC banding, governed the characteristic strain hardening of the material.

Localized Strain Analysis of Ce- and Mg-Treated Cast Iron under Uniaxial Compression

Cast iron exhibits a wide range of mechanical properties, depending on its microstructural features. The microstructure of cast iron consists of several microconstituents with different elastic-plastic behavior, making the strain non-uniform across the bulk material. To understand the individual effects of these microconstituents on the overall mechanical behavior, local strain analysis using digital image correlation analysis was carried out. Samples with two different compositions (varying cerium, magnesium and silicon) were processed at different solidification velocities in a Bridgman furnace. Sections of the directionally solidified samples were loaded under uniaxial compression to measure global and local strain behavior. Despite the variability of the microstructure, the stress–strain curves obtained by digital image correlation (DIC) were found to react in a well-controlled way to changes in solidification velocity. It was observed that high-strain failure (greater than 15%) was accompanied by local straining of the softer ferritic phase, but during low-strain failure, local straining was not prominent. Higher nodularities, due to higher solidification velocities, raised the compressive strength without affecting the toughness significantly. Higher percentages of carbides led to higher compressive strengths with corresponding losses in ductility. The continuity of the matrix was also found to play an important role in the behavior during compression.

Local Strain-Based Low-Cycle Fatigue Assessment of Joint Structure in Steel Truss Bridges During Earthquakes

During the 2011 Tohoku Earthquake, a truss bridge joint structure was cracked due to large cyclic deformation, making us recognize the importance of assessing the seismic performance of joint structures in truss bridges from the viewpoint of low-cycle fatigue. In this study, seismic response analysis of an actual deck truss bridge was performed under different seismic waves, and local strain behavior generated at welded joints around a joint structure was clarified using a zooming analysis technique. The results revealed the possibility that welded joints for a lateral gusset-plate in a joint structure can be cracking sites during earthquakes. In addition, it was indicated that seismic isolation bearings can significantly reduce the local strain at the joint structure and improve its low-cycle fatigue performance. Moreover, as a simple countermeasure, weld toe treatment by grinding is also effective to decrease the possibility of low-cycle fatigue cracking at the joint structure.

Physical insights into stress–strain process of polymers under tensile deformation via machine learning

ABSTRACT Strain localization is a ubiquitous phenomenon of soft matters subjected to strain. Polymeric materials are a very important class of soft materials and widely used nowadays. Polymers have unique strain localization behavior such as crazing during tensile deformation. How to understand the mechanism at the molecular level of strain localization in polymeric materials has become an important topic in material science. In this work, tensile deformation process of polymers both under a melt state and a glassy state are investigated in MD simulations using a generic coarse-grained model. We use a machine learning technique, i.e., support vector machine (SVM) algorithm, to understand the local molecular structure and the dynamical properties during tensile deformation. By defining “softness” from the SVM model, we investigate the stress–strain behavior of both ductile polymer above glass transition temperature and brittle polymer glass during tensile deformation. We demonstrated that the softness can be used to predict physical properties efficiently; the softness provides deep physical insights into the non-equilibrium stress–strain process. We also find that the Hookean behavior of polymer glasses is mostly contributed by the hard regions of the system, and the elastic limit is quantitatively discussed as well.

Effect of microstructure inhomogeneity on mechanical properties of different zones in TA15 electron beam welded joints

Abstract The effects of microstructure inhomogeneity on the mechanical properties of different zones in TA15 electron beam welded joints were investigated using a micromechanics-based finite element method. Considering the indentation size effect, the mechanical properties for constituent phases of the base metal (BM) and heat affected zone (HAZ) were determined by the instrumented nano-indentation test. The macroscopic mechanical properties of BM and HAZ obtained from the tensile test agree well with the numerical results. The incompatible deformation between the constituent phases tends to localize along the softer primary phase α where failure usually initiates in form of localized plastic strain. Compared with the BM, the mechanical properties of constituent phases in the HAZ differ substantially, leading to more serious strain localization behavior.

Notch-tensile behavior of Al0.1CrFeCoNi high entropy alloy

Notch-tensile behavior of an Al0.1CrFeCoNi high entropy alloy (Al0.1-HEA) was studied using V-notch geometry and with local strain mapping using digital image correlation (DIC). A notch-strength ratio of 1.51 indicated notch strengthening. Further analysis of stress-strain response supplemented with microstructural analysis revealed that, while the presence of notch results in strengthening due to work hardening by twinning induced plasticity, the notch also contributes strongly to geometrical softening in the non-uniform ductility regime, and accounts for the onset of failure. The strain localization behavior of Al0.1-HEA due to the presence of V-notch was compared with three conventional alloys: Inconel 625 nickel-based superalloy, 304 stainless steel and Ti–6Al–4V titanium alloy. The study revealed that the nature of notch widening with increasing strain was dependent on material characteristics. The extent of notch widening impacted the local strain field and stress distribution, thereby influencing the propensity for crack initiation and growth. The experimental results were verified by finite element analysis.

Understanding strain localisation behaviour in a near-α Ti-alloy during initial loading below the yield stress

Near-α Ti-alloys such as TIMETAL® 834 are known for their superior mechanical properties at high temperature, and as such are found in applications where high strength and improved fatigue performance at elevated temperatures (>450°C) are required. However, these alloys can be susceptible to cold-dwell fatigue; a failure mechanism that is not well understood. The present work investigates the strain localisation behaviour during cold creep and the implications it has in terms of dwell susceptibility for two different bi-modal microstructures. Slip traces and strain distributions have been analysed for different material conditions by employing High-Resolution Digital Image Correlation (HRDIC) in combination with orientation mapping. Using this approach, it was possible to distinguish deformation patterns in primary α grains and transformed-β colonies, loaded incrementally to stress levels of 70%, 80% and 90% of the yield stress. Different prior β-grain morphologies didn’t affect the average strains when stresses are low; but strain distributions have been affected by the β-grain morphology. Material with coarse transformation product accumulated larger amounts of plastic strain compared to material with fine transformation product, at the same relative stress levels. At low stress levels, slip bands have been detected both in primary α, as well in the transformed-β phase, cutting through the lamellae, for the material condition with a coarse transformation product; on the other hand, for the material conditions with a fine transformation product, slip bands are localised only in primary α grains at low stress levels. It was also found for both conditions that at low stress levels slip bands are found in grains that are well oriented for basal slip. Based on these observations it is discussed if b-ligaments are significant obstacles to dislocation movement. Finally, the requirement of crystal-plasticity modelling to take into account differences in crystallographic orientations and the elastic and plastic anisotropy of HCP-titanium will be discussed and considered.

A micromorphic elastoplastic model and finite element simulation on failure behaviors of granular materials

SummaryOne of the purposes in this study is to develop a modified micromorphic continuum model for granular materials on the basis of a micromechanics approach. A symmetric curvature tensor is proposed in this model, and a symmetric couple stress tensor is derived conjugating the symmetric curvature tensor. In addition, a correct derivation is presented to obtain the symmetric stress tensor conjugated with the symmetric strain tensor. The modified model provides a complete deformation mode for granular materials by considering the decomposition for motions (displacement and rotation) of particles. Consequently, the macroscopic constitutive relationships and constitutive moduli are derived in expressions of the microstructural information. Furthermore, the balance equations and boundary conditions are obtained for the modified micromorphic model. By considering the extended Drucker‐Prager yield criterion, the micromorphic elastoplastic model is developed. Another purpose of this study is to derive the finite element formulation for the developed micromorphic elastoplastic model. Based on the ABAQUS user element (UEL) interface, numerical simulations investigated the load‐displacement relationship and the strain localization behavior of granular materials and investigated the influence of microscopic parameters in the micromorphic model on these macroscopic mechanical responses. Numerical results illustrate the presented model's capability of simulating the strain‐softening and strain localization behaviors, and the capability of considering the influence of microstructural information on the macroscopic mechanical behaviors of granular materials.

Effects of physical aging on thermomechanical behaviors of poly(ethylene terephthalate)-glycol (PETG)

ABSTRACTA series of experiments are performed to investigate the effects of physical aging on thermomechanical properties of poly(ethylene terephthalate)-glycol (PETG). The DMA, DSC and XRD tests are used to characterize the change of dynamic property, heat capacity and microstructure with annealing treatments. The uniaxial tension tests together with the DIC technique are employed to describe the failure behaviors of PETG. The results show that the annealed polymers exhibit a larger maximum local strain and fail at a smaller displacement. The type and size of the geometry defects can also affect the strain localization and final failure behaviors of PETG.

Strength Development and Strain Localization Behavior of Cemented Paste Backfills Using Portland Cement and Fly Ash.

This study examines the combined performance of Portland cement (PC), the binder, and fly ash (FA), the additive, towards improving the mechanical performance of the South Australian copper-gold underground mine cemented paste backfill (CPB) system. A series of unconfined compressive strength (UCS) tests were carried out on various mix designs to evaluate the effects of binder and/or additive contents, as well as curing time, on the CPB’s strength, stiffness and toughness. Moreover, the failure patterns of the tested samples were investigated by means of the three-dimensional digital image correlation (DIC) technique. Making use of several virtual extensometers, the state of axial and lateral strain localization was also investigated in the pre- and post-peak regimes. The greater the PC content and/or the longer the curing period, the higher the developed strength, stiffness and toughness. The use of FA alongside PC led to further strength and stiffness improvements by way of inducing secondary pozzolanic reactions. Common strength criteria for CPBs were considered to assess the applicability of the tested mix designs; with regards to stope stability, 4% PC + 3% FA was found to satisfy the minimum 700 kPa threshold, and thus was deemed as the optimum choice. As opposed to external measurement devices, the DIC technique was found to provide strain measurements free from bedding errors. The developed field of axial and lateral strains indicated that strain localization initiates in the pre-peak regime at around 80% of the UCS. The greater the PC (or PC + FA) content, and more importantly the longer the curing period, the closer the axial stress level required to initiate localization to the UCS, thus emulating the failure mechanism of quasi-brittle materials such as rock and concrete. Finally, with an increase in curing time, the difference between strain values at the localized and non-localized zones became less significant in the pre-peak regime and more pronounced in the post-peak regime.

Experimental characterization and finite element modeling the deformation behavior of rubbers with geometry defects

Rubbers have broad applications in various areas. The engineering application requires accurately capturing the response of these materials under large deformation. In this work, we investigate the deformation behavior of two engineering rubbers (EPDM and Silicone rubbers) until failure occurs. The digital image correlation technique is used to capture the strain field of rubber specimens with different types of geometry defects. The results show that EPDM rubbers are more ductile than Silicone rubbers. For both rubbers a homogenous deformation behavior can be observed for specimens without defects, while strain localization behaviors occur for specimens with geometry defects. Finite element analysis (FEA) is also performed. The Arruda-Boyce eight chain model is used to represent the constitutive relationship of both rubbers with the parameters determined from the stress-strain response of specimens without geometry defects. The strain field obtained from FEA shows good agreement with the experimental data even in the large strain region close to failure. However, the simulated force-displacement is consistent with the experimental results only for specimens without geometry defects. For specimens with geometry defects, discrepancies exist in all the cases, which indiates that more mechanisms need to be incorporated into the constitutive relationship.