NUMERICAL MODELING OF DUCTILE FRACTURE-BEHAVIOR IN ALUMINUM WELDMENTS

The present investigation focuses on the application of micromechanica l material modeling by means of the modified Gurson model to determine the deformation and fracture behavior of aluminum weldments. In order to predict the material behavior, a set of material parameters associ ated with formation and coalescence of voids was established for the d ifferent zones in a weld. The material parameters of various positions in the heat-affected zones were determined for two different aluminum alloys, one 6005 alloy and one 6082 alloy, using weld thermal simulat ed material. The results from numerical simulations of welded wide pla tes showed that the deformation and fracture characteristics: can be p redicted fairly well by using the established damage mechanics methodo logy.