Simulation of the stochastic nature of failure in plasticly deforming materials
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Abstract
An investigation of the influence of microstructure variation on the constitutive response of aluminum alloys has been undertaken. Finite element models have been developed in which the local porosity in an aluminum specimen has been varied randomly. Two statistical models for porosity distribution (uniform and Gaussian) were applied during the course of the research. The initial objective of the research was to determine the optimum discretization of the material volume and the number of discrete porosity values needed for the model to yield accurate and efficient simulations of material response. Subsequent research concentrated on investigating the relationship between variation in local porosity and variation in the constitutive response. Finite element models were used to obtain an estimate of the variation, and its importance for engineering applications was discussed.
This introduction provides a discussion of the background to this investigation. The basic concepts of metallic alloys, composite and heterogeneous materials are introduced in section 1.1. The deterministic and stochastic approaches to engineering design are discussed in section 1.2. Various analytical techniques for modeling material behavior are introduced in section 1.3. The broad applicability of the finite element method in materials science research is discussed in section 1.4. The application of numerical techniques in the modeling of materials problems involving heterogeneous materials is discussed in section 1.5. Finally, the main objectives of the current project are presented in section 1.6.