A MICROMECHANICAL INCREMENTAL MODELING OF DAMAGE IN MATERIALS CONTAINING SECOND-PHASE PARTICLES

A micromechanical model is derived to simulate the nucleation and evol ution of damage in a material containing second phase particles, which can exhibit fracture or decohesion. The damaged particle is replaced by an equivalent one having anisotropic properties, whose interaction with the matrix is solved by means of the Eshelby method applied in in cremental elastoplasticity. Two bounds are determined with this method . The results show typically a strong dependence upon the loading path . Quantitative measurements are made to characterize the damage existi ng in the material prior and during testing. Comparisons are made betw een theoretical and experimental results, and show that the latter fal l in between the bounds determined in the model. It is also shown that using a single fitting parameter in the model allows to reproduce all experimental results.