Fracture Initiation in Aluminum Alloys Under Multiaxial Loading at Various Low Strain Rates

Abstract

The initiation of ductile fractures in medium-strength AW5754 and high-strength AW6082 aluminum alloys at different quasi-static strain rates and under multiaxial stress states was investigated through a series of tensile tests using various specimen geometries. The sensitivity of the stress triaxiality locus to variations in the loading rate was examined for these two aluminum alloy families. Fractographic and elemental analyses were also conducted via SEM and EDS. Numerical simulations based on the finite element method (FEM) were performed using ABAQUS/Standard to determine the actual stress triaxialities and the equivalent plastic strains at fracture. The numerical approach was validated by comparing the simulation results with the experimental findings. These simulations facilitated the generation of a stress triaxiality locus through a curve-fitting process. Among the considered fitting functions, an exponential function was selected as it provided the most accurate relation between the equivalent plastic strain at fracture and the corresponding stress state across different strain rates. The results reveal different strain rate dependencies for the two alloys within a very low strain rate range. The resulting stress triaxiality loci provide a valuable tool for predicting fracture strains and for more accurately evaluating stress states. Overall, the findings of this study significantly advance the understanding of the fracture initiation behavior of aluminum alloys under multiaxial loading conditions and their sensitivity to various quasi-static loading rates.