The fracture of ductile solids has frequently been observed to result from the large growth and coalescence of microscopic voids, a process enhanced by the superposition of hydrostatic tensile stresses on a plastic deformation field. The ductile growth of voids is treated here as a problem in continuum plasticity. First, a variational principle is established to characterize the flow field in an elastically rigid and incompressible plastic material containing an internal void or voids, and subjected to a remotely uniform stress and strain rate field. Then an approximate Rayleigh-Ritz procedure is developed and applied to the enlargement of an isolated spherical void in a nonhardening material. Growth is studied in some detail for the case of a remote tensile extension field with superposed hydrostatic stresses. The volume changing contribution to void growth is found to overwhelm the shape changing part when the mean remote normal stress is large, so that growth is essentially spherical. Further, it is found that for any remote strain rate field, the void enlargement rate is amplified over the remote strain rate by a factor rising exponentially with the ratio of mean normal stress to yield stress. Some related results are discussed, including the long cylindrical void considered by F.A. McClintock (1968, J. appl. Mech . 35 , 363), and an approximate relation is given to describe growth of a spherical void in a general remote field. The results suggest a rapidly decreasing fracture ductility with increasing hydrostatic tension.

On the ductile enlargement of voids in triaxial stress fields

Analysis of the cup-cone fracture in a round tensile bar

A model of isotropic ductile plastic damage based on a continuum damage variable, on the effective stress concept and on thermodynamics is derived. The damage is linear with equivalent strain and shows a large influence of triaxiality by means of a damage equivalent stress. Identification for several metals is made by means of elasticity modulus change induced by damage. A comparison with the McClintock and Rice-Tracey models and with some experiments is presented for the influence of triaxiality on the strain to rupture.

A continuous damage mechanics model for ductile fracture

The effect of microscopic voids on the failure mechanism of a ductile material is investigated by considering an elastic-plastic medium containing a boubly periodic array of circular cylindrical voids. For this voided material under uniaxial or biaxial plane strain tension the state of stresses and deformations is determined numerically. Bifurcation away from the fundamental state of deformation is analysed with special interest in a repetitive pattern that represents the state of deformation inside a shear band. Both in the fundamental state and in the bifurcation analysis the interaction between voids and the details of the stress distribution around voids are fully accounted for. Comparison is made with the shear band instabilities predicted by a continuum model of a ductile porous medium. Based on the numerical results an adjustment is suggested for the approximate yield condition in this model of dilatant, pressure sensitive plastic behaviour.

F. A. McClintock

Papers

A Criterion for Ductile Fracture by the Growth of Holes

Ductile Fracture Instability in Shear

The Statistical Theory of Size and Shape Effects in Fatigue

A Criterion for Minimum Scatter in Fatigue Testing

On the Direction of Fatigue Cracks in Polycrystalline Ingot Iron