Calibration of a combined isotropic-kinematic hardening material model for the simulation of thin electrical steel sheets subjected to cyclic loadingKalibrierung eines Materialmodells fur die Simulation von zyklisch beanspruchten dunnen Elektroblechen unter Berucksichtigung kombinierter isotroper-kinematischer Verfestigung

The combined isotropic-kinematic hardening model enables the description of the cyclic transient elastic-plastic material behaviour of steel. However, the determination of the material model parameters and understanding of their influence on the material response can be a challenging task. This study deals with the individual steps of the material model calibration for the simulation of thin electrical steel sheets under cyclic loading. Specific recommendations are made for the determination of kinematic and isotropic hardening material parameters. In particular, the isotropic hardening evolution is described by Voce's exponential law and a simple multilinear approach. Based on the multilinear approach, which allows for different slopes in the evolution of the yield surface size, an alternative calibration of the isotropic hardening component is proposed. As a result, the presence of the yield plateau in the first half cycle can be accurately captured, while convergence issues in the material model definition for numerical simulations can be avoided. The comparison of simulated load cycles with experimental cyclic tests shows a good agreement, which indicates the suitability of the proposed material model calibration for electrical steel.