Aluminum alloys are increasingly being used in a broad spectrum of load-bearing applications such as lightweight structures, light rail, bridge decks, marine crafts, and off-shore platforms. A major concern in the design of land-based and marine aluminum structures is fire safety, at least in part due to mechanical property reduction at temperatures significantly lower than that for steel. A substantial concern also exists regarding the integrity and stability of an aluminum structure following a fire; however, little research has been reported on this topic. This paper provides a broad overview of the mechanical behavior of aluminum alloys both during and following fire. The two aluminum alloys discussed in this work, 5083-H116 and 6061-T651, were selected due to their prevalence as lightweight structural alloys and their differing strengthening mechanisms (5083 – strain hardened, 6061 – precipitation hardened). The high temperature quasi-static mechanical and creep behavior are discussed. A creep model is presented to predict the secondary and tertiary creep strains followed by creep rupture. The residual mechanical behavior following fire (with and without applied stress) is elucidated in terms of the governing kinetically-dependent microstructural mechanisms. A review is provided on modeling techniques for residual mechanical behavior following fire including empirical relations, physically-based constitutive models, and finite element implementations. The principal objective is to provide a comprehensive description of select aluminum alloys, 5083-H116 and 6061-T651, to aid design and analysis of aluminum structures during and after fire.

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Overview of aluminum alloy mechanical properties during and after fires

Meshfree methods are commonly applied to discretize peridynamic models, particularly in numerical simulations of engineering problems. Such methods discretize peridynamic bodies using a set of nodes with characteristic volume, leading to particle-based descriptions of systems. In this paper, we perform convergence studies of static peridynamic problems. We show that commonly used meshfree methods in peridynamics suffer from accuracy and convergence issues, due to a rough approximation of the contribution of nodes near the boundary of the neighborhood of a given node to numerical integrations. We propose two methods to improve meshfree peridynamic simulations. The first method uses accurate computations of volumes of intersections between neighbor cells and the neighborhood of a given node, referred to as partial volumes. The second method employs smooth influence functions with a finite support within peridynamic kernels. Numerical results demonstrate great improvements in accuracy and convergence of peridynamic numerical solutions when using the proposed methods.

Convergence studies in meshfree peridynamic simulations

A morphing approach to couple state-based peridynamics with classical continuum mechanics

Static solution of crack propagation problems in Peridynamics

Summary
In this work, the authors formulate a 2-D linearized ordinary state-based peridynamic model of elastic deformations and compute the stiffness matrix for 2-D plane stress/strain conditions. This model is then verified by testing the recovery of elastic properties for given Poisson's ratios in the range 0.1–0.45. The convergence behavior of peridynamic solutions in terms of the size of the nonlocal region by comparison with the classical (local) mechanics model is also discussed. The degree to which the peridynamic surface effect influences the recovery of elastic properties is examined, and stress/strain recovery values are found to have a definite influence on the results. The technique used here can provide the basis for applying 2-D peridynamic models to the study of fatigue failure and quasi-static fracture problems. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Linearized state‐based peridynamics for 2‐D problems

A peridynamic implementation of crystal plasticity

A probabilistic crystal plasticity model for modeling grain shape effects based on slip geometry

Modeling fatigue failure using the variational multiscale method

Crack propagation in a polycrystalline microstructure is analyzed using a novel multiscale model. The model includes an explicit microstructural representation at critical regions (stress concentrators such as notches and cracks) and a reduced order model that statistically captures the microstructure at regions far away from stress concentrations. Crack propagation is modeled in these critical regions using the variational multiscale method. In this approach, a discontinuous displacement field is added to elements that exceed the critical values of normal or tangential tractions during loading. Compared to traditional cohesive zone modeling approaches, the method does not require the use of any special interface elements in the microstructure and thus can model arbitrary crack paths. The capability of the method in predicting both intergranular and transgranular failure modes in an elastoplastic polycrystal is demonstrated under tensile and three-point bending loads.

/pdf/modeling-crack-propagation-in-polycrystalline-microstructure-5g1k8zxnpo.pdf

Modeling Crack Propagation in Polycrystalline Microstructure Using Variational Multiscale Method

Microstructural effects become important at regions of stress concentrators such as notches, cracks and contact surfaces. A multiscale model is presented that efficiently captures microstructural details at such critical regions. The approach is based on a multiresolution mesh that includes an explicit microstructure representation at critical regions where stresses are localized. At regions farther away from the stress concentration, a reduced order model that statistically captures the effect of the microstructure is employed. The statistical model is based on a finite element representation of the orientation distribution function (ODF). As an illustrative example, we have applied the multiscaling method to compute the stress intensity factor K I around the crack tip in a wedge-opening load specimen. The approach is verified with an analytical solution within linear elasticity approximation and is then extended to allow modeling of microstructural effects on crack tip plasticity.

https://www.mdpi.com/2075-4701/7/9/345/pdf

Shang Sun

Papers

A peridynamic implementation of crystal plasticity

A probabilistic crystal plasticity model for modeling grain shape effects based on slip geometry

Modeling fatigue failure using the variational multiscale method

Modeling Crack Propagation in Polycrystalline Microstructure Using Variational Multiscale Method

A Hybrid Multi-Scale Model of Crystal Plasticity for Handling Stress Concentrations