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Modern durability and damage tolerance predictions for composite material systems rely on accurate estimates of the local stress and material states for each of the constituents, as well as the manner in which the constituents interact. In this work, an number of approaches to estimating the stress states and interactions are developed. First, an elasticity solution is presented for the problem of a penny-shaped crack in an N-phase composite material system opened by a prescribed normal pressure. The stress state around such a crack is then used to estimate the stress concentrations due to adjacent fiber fractures in a composite materials. The resulting stress concentrations are then used to estimate the tensile strength of the composite. The predicted results are compared with experimental values. In addition, a cumulative damage model for fatigue is presented. Modifications to the model are made to include the effects of variable amplitude loading. These modifications are based upon the use of remaining strength as a damage metric and the definition of an equivalent generalized time. The model is initially validated using results from the literature. Also, experimental data from APC-2 laminates and IM7/K3B laminates are used in the model. The use of such data for notched laminates requires the use of an effective hole size, which is calculated based upon strain distribution measurements. Measured remaining strengths after fatigue loading are compared with the predicted values for specimens fatigued at room temperature and 350°F (177°C). / Ph. D.

L'alliage d'aluminium 6061-T6 a été retenu pour la fabrication du caisson-coeur du futur réacteur expérimental Jules Horowitz (RJH). L'objectif de cette thèse est de comprendre et modéliser le comportement et l'endommagement de cet alliage en traction et en ténacité, ainsi que l'origine de l'anisotropie d'endommagement. Il s'agit de faire le lien entre la microstructure et l'endommagement du matériau à l'aide d'une approche micromécanique. Pour ce faire, la microstructure de l'alliage, la structure granulaire et es précipités grossiers ont été caractérisés en utilisant des analyses surfaciques (Microscopie Électronique à Balayage) et volumiques (tomographie/laminographie X). Le mécanisme d'endommagement a été identifié par des essais de traction sous MEB in-situ, des essais de tomographie X ex-situ et des essais de laminographie X in-situ pour différents taux de triaxialité. Ces observations ont notamment permis de montrer que la germination des cavités sur les précipités grossiers de type Mg2Si est plus précoce que sur les intermétalliques au fer. Le scénario identifié et les grandeurs mesurées ont ensuite permis de développer un modèle d'endommagement couplé, basé sur l'approche locale de la rupture, de type GTN intégrant la germination, la croissance et la coalescence des cavités. Le lien entre l'anisotropie d'endommagement et de forme/répartition des précipités a pu être montré. Cette anisotropie microstructurale modifie les mécanismes : Pour une sollicitation dans le sens long l'endommagement est majoritairement intergranulaire alors que dans le sens travers on observe un endommagement mixte intergranulaire et intragranulaire. La prise en compte des mesures de l'endommagement dans la simulation a permis d'expliquer l'anisotropie d'endommagement. Ce travail servira de référence pour les études futures qui seront menées sur le matériau irradié. / The AA6061-T6 aluminum alloy was chosen as the material for the core vessel of the future Jules Horowitz testing reactor (JHR). The objective of this thesis is to understand and model the tensile and fracture behavior of the material, as well as the origin of damage anisotropy. A micromechanical approach was used to link the microstructure and mechanical behavior. The microstructure of the alloy was characterized on the surface via Scanning Electron Microscopy and in the 3D volume via synchrotron X-ray tomography and laminography. The damage mechanism was identified by in-situ SEM tensile testing, ex-situ X-ray tomography and in-situ laminography on different levels of triaxiality. The observations have shown that damage nucleated at lower strains on Mg2Si coarse precipitates than on iron rich intermetallics. The identified scenario and the in-situ measurements were then used to develop a coupled GTN damage model incorporating nucleation, growth and coalescence of cavities formed by coarse precipitates. The relationship between the damage and the microstructure anisotropies was explained and simulated.

Epithelial tissues, one of the four primary tissue structures found in our human body, are known to comprise of tiny cells interconnected in a unique continuous pattern. In most cases, they serve a dual purpose of protecting the internal organs from physical damage, and at the same time, enable in facilitating inter-cellular activities and prevent pathogen break ins. While the tissue mechanics and its proliferation have been scrutinized to great detail, it is their geometric uniqueness, that has remained more or less unexplored. With an intent of doing the same, this thesis identifies and explores those geometric properties/parameters that have an influence on the micro structure’s homogenized and localized response. However, it does so by extracting the microstructures profile and representing its cell edges via three dimensional beam elements - hence the name, bio-inspired structures. The analysis is carried out by first developing a staggered Representative Volume Element (RVE)using finite elements, and identifying its appropriate size. The staggered assembly aids in minimizing boundary effects from creeping in, and at the same time, provides the requisite statistical homogeneity. This is followed by the geometry study. A wide range of epithelial geometries are considered for the study, ranging from completely isotropic skin models, to in plane anisotropic cuboidal structures and out of plane anisotropic stratified geometries. The effects of orientation, relative density and edge length are extracted and studied in great detail. It is observed that cell edges initial orientation has a direct dependence on the particle distribution, whereas the change in orientation is largely dependent on the deformation the microstructure is subjected to. Relative density is documented to show a direct correlation to a materials homogenized response i.e. larger the relative density, greater is the microstructures stiffness and homogenized stress response to the same deformation. Edge length, on the other hand is observed to showcase a downward trend on the cell edge’s axial stress. On average, in any kind of distribution and any kind of deformation, smaller cell edges are known to showcase larger stresses, as compared to the larger cell edges.

In the present thesis, fatigue behavior of nodular cast iron (NCI) is investigated using micromechanical simulations. An elastic-plastic porous material experiences an increase in a void volume fraction with each cycle of loading. This is called void ratchetting. The hypothesis of this thesis is to explain the fatigue failure of NCI using void ratchetting mechanism. The strain-life, stress-life, notch support effect, and fatigue crack growth are studied using the micromechanical simulations. In all these studies, matrix material is defined as an elastic-plastic with isotropic/kinematic hardening. No damage law is used to define material degradation. The axisymmetric cell model is developed to study strain-life and stress-life approaches for fatigue. The cell model is subjected to cyclic loading and cycle by cycle simulations are carried out until failure. The failure of the cell model is defined based on the drop in the macroscopic response of the cell model. The notch support effect is investigated using a 2D plane strain model within stress-life concept. From the simulation results, strain-life and stress-life curves are extracted, and they are in qualitative and quantitative agreement with experimental data collected from literature. The fatigue crack growth is studied using a micromechanical cell model under small scale yielding conditions. The graphite particles are considered as voids, and they are resolved discretely in fracture process zone. The region outside of the fracture process zone is considered as a homogenized medium. When positive alternating loads are applied, ligaments in the fracture process zone show ratchetting behavior, which is responsible for an effective fatigue crack growth. This mechanism is relevant for the fatigue crack growth in NCI. The 2D plane strain boundary layer model is able to predict the effect of load ratio on threshold for the fatigue crack growth and the fatigue crack growth rate. The fatigue crack growth rate curves obtained from the simulations are compared with experimental data. It is essential to note that the void ratchetting (plastic collapse of the intervoid ligaments) is a crucial mechanism in NCI and more focus should be given to this mechanism as it is simple to implement and gives satisfying simulation results.