Influence of non-proportional loading on ratcheting responses and simulations by two recent cyclic plasticity models

Aubin and her coworkers conducted a unique set of experiments demonstrating the influence of loading non-proportionality on ratcheting responses of duplex stainless steel. In order to further explore their new observation, a set of experiments was conducted on stainless steel (SS) 304L under various biaxial stress-controlled non-proportional histories. This new set of data reiterated Aubin and her coworkers' observation and illustrated many new responses critical to model development and validation. Two recent and different classes of cyclic plasticity models, the modified Chaboche model proposed by Bari and Hassan and the version of the multi-mechanism model proposed by Taleb and Cailletaud, are evaluated in terms of their simulations of the SS304L non-proportional ratcheting responses. A modeling scheme for non-proportional ratcheting responses using the kinematic hardening rule parameters in addition to the conventionally used isotropic hardening rule parameter (yield surface size change) in the modified Chaboche model is evaluated. Strengths and weaknesses of the models in simulating the non-proportional ratcheting responses are identified. Further improvements of these models needed for improving the non-proportional ratcheting simulations are suggested in the paper. (C) 2008 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.