A constitutive model for inelastic flow and damage evolution in solids under triaxial compression

Abstract

A constitutive model for describing time-dependent, pressure-sensitive inelastic flow and damage evolution in crystalline solids under non-hydrostatic compression has been developed on the basis that the relevant damage and dislocation flow processes both contribute to the overall inelastic strain rate. A damage-based kinetic equation is first formulated using the work-conjugate approach and the continuum damage concept. That relation is then added to the dislocation-based kinetic equation of a multi-mechanism deformation (M-D) model to obtain the macroscopic inelastic strain rate. The proposed kinetic relation for the overall inelastic strain rate is shown to be derivable from a flow potential. The kinetic equation indicates plastic dilatancy under triaxial compression when the damage term is activated, and leads to plastic incompressibility when inelastic straining is primarily provided by dislocation flow mechanisms. The dependence of creep rate and plastic dilatancy on confining pressure shown by model calculations for rock salt is in accordance with experimental observations.