A new finite element approach for modelling ductile damage void nucleation and growth—analysis of loading path effect on damage mechanisms

Abstract : A two-dimensional finite element (FE) model is presented to model the nucleation and void growth stages in ductile damage phenomena on the microstructure scale. This model is based on a level-set (LS) method coupled with an advanced re-meshing strategy. Both nucleation modes (interface debonding and inclusion fracture) are modelled through the introduction of micro-voids according to stress-based criteria. The LS method and mesh adaptation are used to accommodate the topology modification of the microstructure and to model multiple void nucleation and growth for different loading paths. The enhanced FE model is adopted to analyse the key features of the damage mechanisms on the micro-scale. The effects of inclusion orientation and of a complex loading path on nucleation and void growth are addressed. Good agreement is found with available experimental and numerical data found in the literature. The results exhibit that the loading path is a key point in damage growth. The proposed FE framework is an efficient technique to study damage phenomena on both simple and realistic microstructures. In the future, such an approach can be used to calibrate macroscopic ductile damage models for a complex loading path.