InSIS Webinar Series (23) – 2024 Recent progress in micromechanics-based approach of ductile fracture in metals

Abstract:

The mechanisms of nucleation, growth and coalescence of voids leading to the fracture of ductile metals have been investigated for more than 50 years and modelled with increasing degrees of complexity. Nevertheless, we are still far today from a fully predictive approach, in particular in the context of the new generations of metallic alloys with advanced microstructures. Challenges remain on several fronts, for instance: the description of the statistical aspects of void nucleation, the transition into shear dominated failure mode, the physical meaning of the internal lengths entering non local models, the treatment of competing fracture mechanisms (e.g. intergranular versus ductile), self heating phenomena like in Ti alloys, etc. In this talk, recent progress made regarding the characterization and modelling of ductile fracture in Al and Ti alloys and in steel will be presented, insisting on void nucleation aspects.

Bio-data of the speaker:

Prof. Thomas Pardoen is full professor at the Ecole Polytechnique de Louvain and at the Institute of Mechanics, Materials and Civil Engineering of UC Louvain. Outside UC Louvain, he is the Chair of the Scientific Council of the Belgian Nuclear Research Center SCK CEN, and vice chair of the Boards of Von Karman Institute and of Centre Terre et Pierre. After graduating as engineer (1994) and receiving a master in philosophy (1996) and a PhD (1998) at UC Louvain, and being a postdoctoral researcher at Harvard University, he became faculty member in 2000. His research interests span the area of the nano-, micro- and macro- mechanics of materials and systems, with an emphasis on multiscale experimental investigations and modelling of deformation and fracture phenomena, as well as coupled functional-mechanical properties and irradiation effects. He is also very much involved in the development of new materials and coatings, including eco-circular systems. He has supervised ~ 55 Ph. D. students, and > 25 post docs. He is currently an ERC grantee, and recently received the Grand Medal 2023 of the French society of metallurgy and materials.

Organized by:

InSIS and Center for Structural Integrity of Safety Critical Systems, IIT Madras