On the dependence of crack surface morphology and energy dissipation on microstructure in ductile plate tearing

The two distinct tearing mechanisms observed in ductile metal plates are the void-by-void advance of the crack tip, and the simultaneous interaction of multiple voids on the plane ahead of the crack tip. Void-by-void crack advance, which leads to a cup-cup crack surface morphology, is the dominant mechanism if the plate contains a low number of small void nucleation sites (i.e., second phase particles). Conversely, a large number and/or size of nucleation sites trigger the simultaneous interaction of multiple voids resulting in a slanted crack. The present work aims to provide further insight into the parameters controlling the mechanisms and energy dissipation of plate tearing by focusing on the shape and, thereby, the orientation of the nucleation sites. The study uses a two-dimensional plane strain finite element domain to model the cross section of a plate, subject to mode I tearing, with discretely modeled, randomly distributed, finite-sized elliptic void nucleation sites. The developed finite element setup can capture the dependence of the crack surface morphology on the microstructure of the plate. The simulation results confirm that cup-cup crack propagation develops by intense plastic straining throughout the thinning region of the plate. Conversely, slanted and cup-cone cracks propagate in thin localized shear deformation bands. The energy dissipation is, therefore, greater for cup-cup cracks. The study demonstrates that the damage-related microstructure has a significant role in determining the overall hardening capacity of a plate, which in turn dictates the tearing mode and energy.