A coupled simulation of parametric porous microstructure and stress-strain behavior in mechanical components under variable cyclic loads

A coupled algorithm is proposed which first considers the creation of porous structure of the material and then the simulations of response of mechanical components with porous structure to a variable load history. The simulations are carried out by the Prandtl operator approach in the finite element method (FEM) which enables structural simulations of mechanical components subjected to variable thermomechanical loads. Temperature -dependent material properties and multilinear kinematic hardening of the material can be taken into account by this approach. Several simulations are then performed for a tensile-compressive specimen made of a generic porous structure and mechanical properties of Aluminium alloy AlSi9Cu3. Variable mechanical load history has been applied to the specimens under constant temperature conditions. Comparison of the simulation results shows a considerable elastoplastic stress-strain response in the vicinity of pores whilst the surface of the gauge-length of the specimen remains in the elastic region of the material. Moreover, the distribution of the pore sizes seems more influential to the stress-strain field during the loading than their radial position in the gauge-length.