Search

Localised deformation of materials usually takes place in thin bands during the nonlinear phase of the deformation process. The orientation and size of these localisation bands are important properties characterising the post-localisation behaviour of the materials, and hence should be taken into account in constitutive modelling. In this research, a new approach is proposed for the integration of both size and orientation of a localisation band in the constitutive description beyond the onset of localisation. Since a length scale related to the size of the localisation band appears in the model description, its post-localisation response then scales with both the band size and the size of the volume element containing it. Therefore, size effects are intrinsically included and post-localisation behaviour is correctly captured, which helps ensure convergence of numerical solutions upon discretisation refinement in numerical analysis of boundary value problems. The concept together with implementation features of the framework and its performances at constitutive level and in the analysis of boundary value problems are presented in this paper. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Temperature and strain fields have been observed during superelastic tensile tests on NiTi tubes. They show strong localisations that take the shape of helical bands with characteristics that depend on global tensile strain and strain rate. To obtain quantitative energy information, allowing a better recognition of the deformation mechanisms involved inside and outside the helical bands, an estimation of the local heat sources based on image processing of the temperature fields is proposed in the present paper. This processing method is first calibrated and validated on numerically simulated temperature fields calculated using theoretical heat sources close to those associated with martensitic phase transformation. It is then applied to experimentally observed temperature fields during a typical superelastic tensile test of an NiTi tube. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Conventional plasticity theories are unable to capture the observed increase in strength of metallic structures with diminishing size. They also give rise to ill-posed boundary value problems at the onset of material softening. In order to overcome both deficiencies, a range of higher-order plasticity theories have been formulated in the literature. The purpose of this paper is to compare existing higher-order theories for the prediction of a size effect and the handling of localisation effects. To this end, size effect predictions for foils in bending are compared with existing experimental data. Furthermore, a study of one-dimensional harmonic incremental solutions from a uniform reference state allows one to assess the nature of material localisation as predicted by these competing higher-order theories. These analyses show that only one of the theories considered—the Fleck–Hutchinson strain gradient plasticity theory based upon the Toupin–Mindlin strain gradient framework [Fleck, N.A., Hutchinson, J.W., 1997. Strain gradient plasticity. Adv. Appl. Mech. 33, 295–361]—allows one to describe both phenomena. The other theories show either nonphysical size effects or a pathologically localised post-peak response. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

The aim of this study is to verify the effectiveness of ordinary phenomenological constitutive relation of NiTi shape memory alloy under mechanical loading at a constant temperature, sufficiently. First, finite element analysis is performed by using ordinary phenomenological constitutive relation for rectangular plate with double notch under tensile loading at a constant temperature. Next, uniaxial tensile loading is carried out for 50.5Ni49.5Ti rectangular plate with double notch. At the same time, macroscopic stress-strain curve and local strain distribution are measured by using in-house measurement system on the basis of digital image correlation. As a result, it is found that the stress-strain curve obtained from finite element analysis is much different from those obtained experimental measurement, especially during stress-induced martensite transformation. The result can be derived from the phenomena of local strain band behavior arising in NiTi under mechanical loading. The phenomenological constitutive model used in present finite element analysis is constructed under assumptions that the material has isotropic characteristics and shows homogeneous deformation. However, this experimental result suggests that the material itself has anisotropy microscopically. Furthermore, material shows unique inhomogeneous deformation. Also, there is possibility that these anisotropic characteristic and inhomogeneous deformation behaviour may derive from its microstructure. In future, to sufficiently describe the macroscopic stress-strain curve of NiTi we should take into consideration the material microstructure. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]