A Finite Element Implementation of a Ductile Damage Model for Small Strains

TL;DR

This paper implements Lemaitre's ductile damage model and a simplified variant in finite element analysis, comparing their convergence and behavior, and highlighting the need for further verification of the kinematic hardening component.

Contribution

The paper presents a finite element implementation of Lemaitre's ductile damage model and a simplified version, with comparative analysis on convergence and behavior.

Findings

Both models accurately reproduce theoretical behavior.

Quadratic convergence observed for the simplified model.

Convergence deteriorates with damage in the kinematic hardening model.

Abstract

Lemaitre's ductile damage model and a simplified variant excluding kinematic hardening were studied and implemented into computer code. For purposes of verifying the model, results from computations with the finite element method are compared to literature. It is found that the behavior expected from theory is modeled by both implementations. Quadratic levels of convergence were observed for the simplified model, while results show that convergence of the kinematic hardening implementation deteriorates with damage. It is concluded that further examination is needed to verify the correct implementation of the kinematic hardening model.