Small strain elasto-plastic multiphase-field model

A small strain plasticity model, based on the principles of continuum mechanics, is incorporated into a phase-field model for heterogeneous microstructures in polycrystalline and multiphase material systems (Nestler et al., Phys Rev 71:1–6, 2005). Thereby, the displacement field is computed by solving the local momentum balance dynamically (Spatschek et al., Phys Rev 75:1–14, 2007) using the finite difference method on a staggered grid. The elastic contribution is expressed as the linear approximation according to the Cauchy stress tensor. In order to calculate the plastic strain, the Prandtl–Reuss model is implemented consisting of an associated flow rule in combination with the von Mises yield criterion and a linear isotropic hardening approximation. Simulations are performed illustrating the evolution of the stress and plastic strain using a radial return mapping algorithm for single phase system and two phase microstructures. As an example for interface evolution coupling with elasto-plastic effects, we present crack propagation simulations in ductile material.