L'analyse sismique des structures de génie civil est une problématique majeure pour la sécurité des personnes et la pérennité des ouvrages. L'étude expérimentale permet de comprendre le comportement réel de la structure mais occasionne des problèmes de coût important et d'effet d'échelle souvent inévitable dû aux dimensions des structures. D'un autre côté, l'étude numérique propose une bonne approximation du comportement global mais la représentation précise des phénomènes locaux (fissuration, perte de matière, flambement, grands déplacements) dans les zones fortement endommagées est délicate et souvent insuffisante. Ce travail de thèse propose l'élaboration d'une technique de sous-structuration hybride pour coupler un modèle numérique à une plateforme expérimentale. Ainsi, la partie faiblement endommagée de la structure est modélisée numériquement tandis que la partie fortement endommagée est testée expérimentalement. Cette méthode permet de coupler le réalisme de l'expérimental avec le faible coût numérique sans toutefois perdre en précision. Après avoir élaboré une méthode de couplage hybride peu intrusive pour le code de calcul (Cast3m), un modèle d'endommagement anisotrope adapté aux chargement sismique (effet unilatéral, déformations permanentes) est développé dans le cadre de la thermodynamique des milieux continus. Afin de valider la méthode hybride, une étude expérimentale est menée sur une structure type en béton armé. La fissuration de la partie expérimentale est étudiée grâce à la corrélation d'images. Ce travail expose donc une alternative intéressante aux analyses classiques des structures importantes soumises à des sollicitations complexes. / The seismic analysis of civil engineering structures is a major problem for the safety of the persons and the sustainability of the structures. The experimental study allows to understand the real behavior of the structure but causes problems of important cost and often inevitable scale effect owed in dimension of the structures. On the other hand, the numerical study proposes a good estimate of the global behavior but the accurate modelling of the local phenomena (cracking, losses of material, buckling, large displacements) in the strongly damaged zones is delicate and often insufficient. This work of this thesis proposes the elaboration of a hybrid technique of sub-structuring to couple a numerical model with an experimental platform. So, the weakly damaged part of the structure is numerically modelled whereas the strongly damaged part is experimentally tested. This method allows to couple the precision and the realism of the experimental with the numerical moderate cost without losing however in precision. Having elaborated a few intrusive hybrid method of coupling for the code of calculation (Cast3m), a anisotropic damage model adapted for seismic load (unilateral effect, permanent strains) is developed within the framework of the thermodynamics of the continuous media. To validate the hybrid method, an experimental study is led on a typical reinforced concrete structure. The cracking of the experimental part is studied thanks to images correlation. This work thus exposes an interesting alternative to the classic analyses of the important structures subjected to complex loading.

Orientador: Marco Lúcio Bittencourt / Dissertação (mestrado) - Universidade Estadual de Campinas, Faculdade de Engenharia Mecânica / Made available in DSpace on 2018-08-22T09:29:00Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 Suzuki_JorgeLuis_M.pdf: 2667128 bytes, checksum: 86588ab0b8799da0e2c3f0242102caea (MD5) Previous issue date: 2013 / Resumo: Este trabalho apresenta uma implementação em ambiente C++ da teoria do Dano em Meio Contínuo para hiperelasticidade sob regime compressível e quasi-incompressível. Para o caso quasi-incompressível, uma formulação mista (u=p) é tratada com um procedimento de projeção local da pressão hidrostática. O dano é um escalar que dependente da máxima deformação atingida. Para a validação dos métodos implementados, são realizados estudos de convergência através da imposição de soluções analíticas, variando a ordem de interpolação e o número de elementos. Também é analisado o comportamento da tensão através de ciclos de carregamento, para a observação da perda de rigidez progressiva sob os efeitos de dano. A formulação implementada contorna o problema de travamento de malha, sendo que de maneira geral, solução é melhor aproximada com o aumento do grau polinomial combinado com o aumento do número de elementos / Abstract: The objective of this work is the application of the high-order hpFEM to the analysis of hyperelastic materials coupled to isotropic damage. A mixed (u=p) formulation with a pressure projection procedure is used in conjunction with the hpFEM to overcome the volumetric locking. The isotropic damage model introduces a scalar variable that evolves coupled with the maximum attained strain. It is based on the equivalent stress concept, by applying a reduction factor over the stress tensor. A cyclic loading test was performed to reproduce the Mullins effect. Convergence analyses were made for a compressible and a quasi-incompressible material imposing analytical solutions. Both materials presented a spectral convergence rate for the p refinement using smooth solutions. In the case of quasi-incompressibility, the material showed locking-free characteristics, but the approximation errors were higher compared to the compressible case / Mestrado / Mecanica dos Sólidos e Projeto Mecanico / Mestre em Engenharia Mecânica

Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis (IUPUI) / Additively manufactured (AM) metals have been increasingly fabricated for structural applications. However, a major hurdle preventing their extensive application is lack of understanding of their mechanical properties. To address this issue, the objective of this research is to develop a computational model to simulate the creep behavior of nickel alloy 718 manufactured using the laser powder bed fusion (L-PBF) additive manufacturing process. A finite element (FE) model with a subroutine is created for simulating the creep mechanism for 3D printed nickel alloy 718 components. A continuum damage mechanics (CDM) approach is employed by implementing a user defined subroutine formulated to accurately capture the creep mechanisms. Using a calibration code, the material constants are determined. The secondary creep and damage constants are derived using the parameter fitting on the experimental data found in literature. The developed FE model is capable to predict the creep deformation, damage evolution, and creep-rupture life. Creep damage and rupture is simulated as defined by the CDM theory. The predicted results from the CDM model compare well with experimental data, which are collected from literature for L-PBF manufactured nickel alloy 718 of creep deformation and creep rupture, at different levels of temperature and stress. Using the multi-regime Liu-Murakami (L-M) and Kachanov-Rabotnov (K-R) isotropic creep damage formulation, creep deformation and rupture tests of both the secondary and tertiary creep behaviors are modeled. A single element FE model is used to validate the model constants. The model shows good agreement with the traditionally wrought manufactured 316 stainless steel and nickel alloy 718 experimental data collected from the literature. Moreover, a full-scale axisymmetric FE model is used to simulate the creep test and the capacity of the model to predict necking, creep damage, and creep-rupture life for L-PBF manufactured nickel alloy 718. The model predictions are then compared to the experimental creep data, with satisfactory agreement. In summary, the model developed in this work can reliably predict the creep behavior for 3D printed metals under uniaxial tensile and high temperature conditions.

Woodbe Engineering AB is a freshly started company that has developed a new type of joint for cross-laminated timber (CLT). The joint does not include any metallic fasteners, which improves sustainability, the ergonomics for the workers and time efficiency. The joint is designed to connect floor and wall elements in multi-storey buildings, by milling a dovetail in the floor element, and a fitting track in the wall element using a CNC machine. Before the product can be used on the market, it needs to be verified. This verification can either be done using physical tests, calculations, or a combination of both. The company has performed experimental small-scale tests, where the load-bearing capacity was tested. Later this year, large scale tests are to be performed. The purpose of this work is to develop a simulation model that can predict the results of the physical test. A simulation model that yields accurate results can be a good substitution for physical testing, due to a lower cost, better time efficiency, and parameters that can easily be changed. CLT is made up of several layers of wooden plates with different directions. The wood itself is quite complex to model. It has different properties in different directions, both ductile and brittle fracture modes and a large scatter of material properties. To capture this behaviour, a material model which incorporates orthotropic elasticity with linear fracture mechanics has been used. The behaviour of the material model has been evaluated with tests in both tension and compression in different directions. The accuracy of the material model was investigated by a simulation of the small-scale tests where the load-bearing capacity and the mode of fracture was investigated. A simulation of the large-scale experiment has also been conducted, where predictions of the load-bearing capacity and the first mode of failure was investigated. Also, a calculation script has been developed, which calculates the shear stress in the dovetail.  The results of the simulations clearly show the capability of the material model. Load-displacement graphs show ductile and brittle behaviour in compression and tension respectively. The strength is the highest along the fibres of the wood, with a fast decrease as the angle is increased. The simulation of the small-scale tests showed the initiation of rolling shear damage in the bottom transverse layer of the dovetail at a load level of 87 kN. The load continued to rise until a maximum load of 112 kN, while the damaged region grew upwards into the next layer. As compared to the physical tests, the mean maximum capacity of the joint was 125 kN, where rolling shear cracks could be found in the upper transverse layer in all tested specimens. Some of the tested specimens showed damage initiation at a load level of 84 kN. For the larger experiment, the same mode of damage was initiated at a load level of 161 kN which continued to rise until a maximum load level of 165 kN. The calculated values of the shear stress showed a critical shear force of 26 kN per dovetail. This value is 60 and 63 % of the simulated critical shear forces. The results of the simulation are in good agreement with the reference experiment in terms of damage initiation and maximum load. However, a large scatter of material properties, approximations of material orientations and interactions between individual layers results in a low level of predictability in terms of damage evolution and ductility in the material. / Woodbe Engineering AB är ett nystartat företag som har utvecklat en ny typ av knutpunkt för korslimmat trä (KLT). Förbandet innefattar inga metalliska förbindare, vilket förbättrar hållbarheten, ergonomin för arbetarna och tidseffektiviteten. Förbandet är konstruerat för att binda samman golv- och väggelement i flervåningsbyggnader, genom att fräsa tappar i golvelementen och motsvarande spår i väggelementen med hjälp av en CNC-maskin. Innan produkten kan användas på marknaden, behöver den verifieras. Verifikationen kan antingen ske genom fysiska tester eller beräkningar, alternativt en kombination av båda. Företaget har gjort experimentella tester i mindre skala där bärförmågan provades. Senare i år ska prover i större skala utföras. Syftet med arbetet är att utveckla en simuleringsmodell som kan förutspå resultaten hos de fysiska proverna. En simuleringsmodell som ger tillförlitliga resultat kan vara ett bra substitut till fysiska prover genom en lägre kostnad, de är mer tidseffektiva och parametrar kan enkelt ändras. KLT är uppbyggt av flera lager av träskivor med olika riktningar. Träet själv är relativt komplext att modellera. Det har olika egenskaper i olika riktningar, samtidiga duktila och spröda brottmoder och har en stor spridning av materialegenskaper. För att fånga upp dessa egenskaper, har en materialmodell som innefattar ortotrop elasticitet och linjär brottmekanik använts. Beteendet hos materialmodellen har utvärderats med tester i både drag och tryck i olika riktningar. Noggrannheten hos materialmodellen har undersökts genom en simulering av redan testade småskaleprover, där bärförmågan och brottmoden undersöktes. En simulering av fullskaleproverna har också gjorts, där en förutsägelse av bärförmågan och den första brottmoden har gjorts. Dessutom har ett beräkningsskript tagits fram som beräknar skjuvspänningen i tappen. Resultaten av simuleringarna visar tydligt förmågan hos materialmodellen. Kraft-förskjutningskurvor visar duktila och spröda beteenden i tryck respektive drag. Hållfastheten är högst i fiberriktningen, med en snabb minskning när vinkeln till fibrerna ökar. Simuleringen av småskaleproverna visade initiering av rullskjuvningsbrott i det undre tvärgående lagret i tappen vid en last av 87 kN. Lasten ökade till den maximala lasten 112 kN, medan det skadade området växte uppåt in i nästa lager. I jämförelse med de fysiska testerna var den maximala medellasten 125 kN, och rullskjuvningssprickor i det övre tvärgående lagret kunde hittas i alla provexemplar. Några av de provade exemplaren visade brottinitiering vid en last av 84 kN. Simuleringen av den större uppställningen visade samma typ av brottinitiering vid en last av 161 kN som ökade till en maximal last av 165 kN. Beräknade värden av skjuvspänning i tappen visade en kritisk skjuvkraft av 26 kN per tapp. Detta värde är 60 och 63 % av de simulerade kritiska skjuvkrafterna. Resultatet av simuleringen stämmer bra överens med referensexperimentet gällande brottinitiering och maxkapacitet. Dock, på grund av en stor spridning av materialegenskaper, approximationer gällande materialriktningar och samverkan mellan individuella lager, är nivån av förutsägbarhet låg gällande brottillväxt och duktilitet i materialet.

Ultra-high temperature ceramics (UHTCs) are a class of materials that maintain their structural integrity at high temperatures, e.g. 2000 °C. They have been limited in their aerospace applications because of their relatively high density and the difficulty involved in forming them into complex shapes, like leading edges and inlets. Recent advanced processing techniques have made significant headway in addressing these challenges, where the introduction of multiscale porosity has resulted in lightweight UHTCs dubbed multiscale porous UHTCs. The effect of multiscale porosity on material properties must be characterized to enable design, but doing so experimentally can be costly, especially when attempting to replicate hypersonic flight conditions for relevant testing of selected candidate samples. As such, this dissertation seeks to computationally characterize the thermomechanical properties of multiscale porous UHTCs, specifically titanium diboride, and validate those results against experimental results so as to build confidence in the model. An implicit quasi-static variant of the Material Point Method (MPM) is developed, whose capabilities include intrinsic treatment of large deformations and contact which are needed to capture the complex material behavior of the as-simulated porous UHTC microstructures. It is found that the MPM can successfully obtain the elastic thermomechanical properties of multiscale porous UHTCs over a wide range of temperatures. Furthermore, characterizations of post-elastic behavior are found to be qualitatively consistent with data obtained from uniaxial compression experiments and Brazilian disk experiments. / Doctor of Philosophy / This dissertation explores a class of materials called ultra-high temperature ceramics (UHTCs). These materials can sustain very high temperatures without degrading, and thus have the potential to be used on hypersonic aircraft which routinely experience high temperatures during flight. In lieu of performing experiments on physical UHTC specimens, one can perform a series of computer simulations to figure out how UHTCs behave under various conditions. This is done here, with a particular focus what happens when pores are introduced into UHTCs, thus rendering them more like a sponge than a solid block of material. Doing computer simulations instead of physical experiments is attractive because of the flexibility one has in a computational environment, as well as the significantly decreased cost associated with running a simulation vs. setting up and performing an experiment. This is especially true when considering challenging operating environments like those experienced by high-speed aircraft. The ultimate goal with this research is to develop a computational tool than can be used to design the ideal distribution of pores in UHTCs so that they can best perform their intended functions.

Este trabalho apresenta um novo modelo numérico para simulação de juntas de argamassa em estruturas de alvenaria no plano via método dos elementos finitos. Neste modelo, blocos de alvenaria e juntas de argamassa são representados separadamente. Elementos finitos com alta razão de aspecto são utilizados para representar as juntas de argamassa e são inseridos na malha de elementos finitos através de uma técnica de fragmentação de malha. A principal vantagem desta técnica consiste na utilização de modelos constitutivos contínuos para representar regiões descontínuas, uma vez que seu campo de deformações quando a altura do elemento de interface tende a zero é semelhante ao apresentado pela abordagem de aproximação contínua de descontinuidades fortes. Um modelo constitutivo contínuo baseado na mecânica do dano foi desenvolvido para representar o comportamento dos elementos de interface. Este modelo consegue representar a abertura e fechamento de fraturas, bem como o efeito de atrito em função da tensão de confinamento nas interfaces. Como o objetivo deste trabalho consiste na simulação da formação e propagação de fraturas ao longo das juntas de argamassa, comportamento elástico linear foi atribuindo aos elementos triangulares de três nós utilizados na discretização dos blocos de alvenaria. Vários exemplos numéricos são apresentados. Inicialmente, testes básicos são realizados para demonstrar as principais características do modelo quando submetido a carregamentos de tração, compressão e cisalhamento. Posteriormente, estruturas de alvenaria submetidas a carregamentos estáticos são analisadas e os resultados comparados com as respostas experimentais a fim de validar o modelo proposto. A técnica proposta se mostrou bastante promissora para simulação da formação e propagação de fratura em juntas de argamassa de estruturas de alvenaria. / This work presents a novel numerical model to simulate the failure process in masonry structures subjected to static loads via finite element method. Brick and mortar joints are modeled separately with their own constitutive equations. Interface finite element with high aspect ratio are used to simulate the mortar interface and inserted by the mesh fragmentation technique. The main advantage of this strategy is supported by the fact that, as the aspect ratio of a standard low-order solid finite element increases, the element strains also increase, approaching the same kinematics as the Continuum Strong Discontinuity Approach. A constitutive model was developed, based on the continuum damage mechanics, in order to represent the behavior of the interface finite elements. This model is able to simulate the creation and propagation of cracks, as well as, the frictional effects in dependence on stress confinement on the interfaces. Furthermore, as the objective of this work aims to simulate the failure in the mortar joints, the brick elements are assumed as linear elastic material. Three node standard triangular finite element are used to represent the bricks. Several numerical models are carried out. Initially, basics tests are show in order to demonstrate the main characteristics of the proposed model subjected to tensile, compression and shear loads. Subsequently, masonry structures are subjected to static loads are analyzed and the results compared with the experimental responses in order to validate the proposed model. This technique proved to be very promising for the simulation of failure onset and propagation in mortar joints of masonry structures.

No presente trabalho desenvolve-se um modelo constitutivo baseado na mecânica do dano contínuo para representar o acúmulo da degradação do concreto produzido por cargas repetidas. O modelo de dano apresenta as condições necessárias exigidas na chamada aproximação de descontinuidades fortes proposta por Simó, Oliver e Armero e, conseqüentemente, pode ser empregado na formulação de elementos finitos com descontinuidade forte incorporada. Em decorrência de sua capacidade de descrever o comportamento do meio descontínuo independentemente da posição dos contornos do elemento finito, essa classe de formulação constitui uma alternativa valiosa para remediar a forte dependência da malha observada nos modelos de fissuras distribuídas, assim como para evitar as sofisticadas técnicas de reconstrução da malha exigidas nos modelos de fissura discreta, nos quais a fissura é introduzida na interface entre elementos. O trabalho traz contribuições no sentido de proporcionar uma ferramenta alternativa para a análise de propagação de fissuras por fadiga em elementos estruturais de concreto, dentro do contexto da mecânica do dano contínuo. Verifica-se a eficiência da formulação mediante análise numérica de problemas de fadiga em elementos estruturais de concreto. / A constitutive model based on the continuum damage mechanics is proposed to describe the accumulation of the degradation produced by repeated loads in concrete materials. The proposed damage model presents the necessary conditions required in the strong discontinuity approach advocated by Simó, Oliver and Armero and, consequently, it can be used in the embedded strong discontinuity finite element approach. This class of approach has been recognized by its capability to model discontinuities independently on the element boundaries. In fracture mechanics, the embedded strong discontinuity element has been proved to be a efficient alternative to remedy the strong mesh dependence verified in smeared crack approaches, as well as to avoid the sophisticated remeshing techniques required in the discrete crack approaches, in which the crack is introduced in the element interfaces. This work provides an alternative tool for the analysis of crack propagation in concrete structures under fatigue in the context of the continuum damage mechanics. Numerical analysis of concrete elements under fatigue are performed to access the effectiveness of the proposed approach.

On étudie le comportement thermomécanique de colis de déchets vitrifiés par modélisation multi- physiques. Les colis sont réalisés avec un conteneur en acier inoxydable dans lequel est coulé un verre borosilicaté. Pour le verre, la méthode des éléments finis est employée pour les calculs thermiques, la relaxation structurale du volume massique, le comportement viscoélastique et l’endommagement. Ces lois consécutives modélisent l’influence de la sollicitation thermique initiale. La relaxation structurale du verre, issue du modèle TNM-KAHR, permet la prise en compte d’effets fondamentaux quant à la transition vitreuse, en fonction des traitements thermiques expérimentaux et simulés. Lorsque le verre dépasse localement une criticité du champ de contrainte, on procède au couplage du calcul de structure viscoélastique, pour le verre solide en relaxation,avec la mécanique de l’endommagement qui réactualise la rigidité et les contraintes en mode I et en mode II. On applique cette méthodologie complète de simulation à l’issue des adaptations nécessaires au cas de blocs de verre massifs en solidification. Ces modèles permettent alors l’obtention de surfaces de fracturation quantifiées, dans le verre, à partir de l’énergie dissipée par le modèle d’endommagement. / We study the thermomechanical behavior of vitrified waste packages by multiphysics modeling. The packages are manufactured by the cast of borosilicate glass into stainless steel canisters. The finite element method is used for the thermal computations.In the glass, the finite element analysis is also used to compute the specific volume evolution and the viscoelastic behavior, due to the structural relaxation of glass, as well as the simulation of the damage behavior. These consecutive behavior laws model theinfluence of the initial thermal response. Glass structural relaxation is computed using the TNM-KAHRmodel, which allows us to take into account fundamental phenomena of the glass transition, depending on the results of experimental and simulated thermal treatments. For the solid glass within this relaxation process, the stress may locally increase beyond critical values. The viscoelastic structure simulation is then coupled with continuum damage mechanics where stresses and stiffness are updated in mode I and mode II. We apply this simulation protocol after adopting conditions relative to the case of these manufactured bulky solidifying glass casts. The models then allow us to quantify the cracking surfaces inside the glass fromthe energy dissipated within the damagemodel.

We develop a dual-purpose damage model (DPDM) that can simultaneously model intralayer damage (ply failure) and interlayer damage (delamination) as an alternative to conventional practices that models ply failure by continuum damage mechanics (CDM) and delamination by cohesive elements. From purely computational point of view, if successful, the proposed approach will significantly reduce computational cost by eliminating the need for having double nodes at ply interfaces. At the core, DPDM is based on the regularized continuum damage mechanics approach with vectorial representation of damage and ellipsoidal damage surface. Shear correction factors are introduced to match the mixed mode fracture toughness of an analytical cohesive zone model. A predictor-corrector local-nonlocal regularization scheme, which treats intralayer portion of damage as nonlocal and interlayer damage as local, is developed and verified. Two variants of the DPDM are studied: a single- and two- scale DPDM. For the two-scale DPDM, reduced-order-homogenization (ROH) framework is employed with matrix phase modeled by the DPDM while the inclusion phase modeled by the CDM. The proposed DPDM is verified on several multi-layer laminates with various ply orientations including double-cantilever beam (DCB), end-notch-flexure (ENF), mixed-mode-bending (MMB), and three-point-bending (TPB). The simulation is executed in the platform of FOOF (Finite element solver based on Object-Oriented Fortran). The objective of FOOF is to develop a new architecture of the nonlinear multiphysics finite element code in object oriented Fortran environment. The salient features of FOOF are reusability, extensibility, and performance. Computational efficiency stems from the intrinsic optimization of numerical computing intrinsic to Fortran, while reusability and extensibility is inherited from the support of object-oriented programming style in Fortran 2003 and its later versions. The shortcomings of the object oriented style in Fortran 2003 (in comparison to C++) are alleviated by introducing the class hierarchy and by utilizing a multilevel programming style.

Este trabalho busca avaliar a ductilidade de ligas metálicas utilizando como ferramenta a teoria da mecânica do dano proposta por Kachanov e desenvolvida por Lemaitre, a qual é apresentada desde as hipóteses básicas até as equações que modelam a deterioração de um material em regime de fratura dúctil. Como o enfoque do trabalho é a predição de trincas em processos de conformação mecânica, em especial estampagem de chapas, o mecanismo de formação destes defeitos é revisado, buscando na literatura o entendimento de como os parâmetros microestruturais influenciam na fratura dúctil. Ensaios de tração foram efetuados em corpos de prova retirados de chapas de aço SAE 1050 em duas condições microestruturais, cementita esferoidizada em matriz ferrítica e ferritaperlita, e em duas direções em relação à laminação da chapa original, paralelo e transversal. A evolução do dano foi medida de maneira indireta por meio da variação do módulo elástico e as propriedades mecânicas necessárias para utilização do modelo de Lemaitre foram calculadas. Por meio de difração de raios X, efetuamos o estudo da evolução da textura cristalográfica, apresentado na forma de figuras de distribuição de orientação e análise da intensidade das principais fibras encontradas em aços laminados a quente. Não foi observada influência significativa do tipo de microestrutura e da direção de deformação na evolução da textura. Por fim, o modelo de evolução de dano de Lemaitre foi transformado em um algoritmo numérico e implementado no código comercial Abaqus, em sua versão explícita, por meio do uso da subrotina VUMAT. Resultados foram obtidos e comparados com os experimentos, validando a aplicação do modelo. A evolução do dano para o aço SAE 1050 também foi comparada com resultados para outros aços ao manganês encontrados na literatura. Relações empíricas entre o teor de carbono e parâmetros como a deformação limite para início do dano, resistência à evolução do dano e dano máximo suportado foram desenvolvidas e apresentadas, com o intuito de funcionar como guias gerais para cálculo sem a necessidade de uma bateria de ensaios dedicados, facilitando a utilização da teoria da mecânica do dano em condições industriais. / The aim of the present work is to evaluate the ductility of metallic alloys employing the theory of damage mechanics as suggested by Kachanov and developed by Lemaitre, which is presented since its basic hypothesis until the equation that model the material deterioration under a regime of ductile fracture. As the focus of the work is the fracture prediction during mechanical working processes (mainly sheet metal stamping), the mechanism of formation of these defects is revised, based upon literature data, aiming at the understanding of how the material microstructural parameters influence ductile fracture. Tensile tests have been performed on samples obtained from SAE 1050 steel sheets for two microstructural conditions namely spheroidized cementite and regular ferrite-perlite for two rolling directions (rolling and transverse directions). In those tests, damage evolution has been measured indirectly through the materials variation in the Young modulus with strain, obtaining the mechanical properties, needed to be used in the calculation of Lemaitres model. Through X-ray diffraction measurements, the crystallographic texture evolution, presented in the form of orientation distribution functions and the associated fiber intensities observed for both microstructural conditions, has been evaluated. No major influence has been observed in this texture evolution, for the tested conditions. Finally, the Lemaitre damage evolution model has been transformed into a numerical algorithm and implemented in the Abaqus commercial code, in its explicit form, through the VUMAT sub-routine. Results have been obtained and compared with the experimental values, validating the suggested model. Damage evolution for the SAE 1050 steel has been also compared with results from literature for other C-Mn steels. Empirical relationships between C level and damage parameters such as limit strain for damage initiation, resistance to damage evolution and maximum allowable damage, have been developed and presented, envisaging their application as general guidelines, without requiring a sequence of dedicated tests, making easier the usage of damage mechanics under industrial conditions.