Ductile crack growth in pre-cracked CVN specimens: numerical studies Original Research Article

This study describes plane strain, finite element analyses to model ductile crack extension in pre-cracked Charpy specimens subjected to static and impact loading. The Gurson–Tvergaard (GT) dilatant plasticity model for voided materials describes the degradation of material stress capacity. Fixed-size, computational cell elements defined over a thin layer along the crack plane provide an explicit length scale for the continuum damage process. Outside of this layer, the material remains undamaged by void growth, consistent with metallurgical observations. The finite strain constitutive models include the effects of high strain rates on the material flow properties. Parametric studies focusing on numerically generated R-curves quantify the relative influence of impact velocity, material strain rate sensitivity, and properties of the computational cells (thickness and the initial cell porosity). In all cases, impact loading elevates significantly the R-curve by increasing the amount of background plasticity. The strong effects of impact loading on the driving force for cleavage fracture are illustrated through evolution of the Weibull stress. The analyses suggest a negligible, additional effect of tearing on the Weibull stress under impact loading. Validation of the computational cell approach to predict loading rate effects on R-curves is accomplished by comparison to static and impact experimental sets of R-curves for three different steels.