Determination of the equivalent stress-strain curves of ductile metals through image analysis

This thesis presents a methodology for determining the equivalent stress-strain and the failure strain-stress triaxiality curves of ductile metallic materials using the advanced computing and image analysis methods. The determined curves were then used to calculate the parameters of the Johnson and Cook (JC) flow stress and damage models. A code was developed in Python to perform the numerical calculations and image analysis using the Python’s libraries and image analysis tools. The main entries to the code were the experimental force-displacement curves at different strain rates, the experimental failure strain-stress triaxiality curve at a reference quasi-static strain rate, the experimental failure strain-strain rate curve at a constant stress triaxiality and the video images of the deforming test specimens. The correctness and reliability of the developed code in predicting the equivalent stress-strain curves and the parameters of the JC flow stress and damage models were clearly demonstrated for the selected 316L and AISI 4340 alloys. The code could also be easily adopted to other well-now constitutive equations commonly used in the finite element software. Finally, the results of present study contribute to the field of mechanical engineering by providing a robust tool for the materials characterization essential for designing and optimizing engineering components subjected to complex states of stresses.