A parametric-experimental study of void growth in superplastic deformation

Substantial void growth in metals constitutes a problem in many industrial operations that utilize superplastic deformation. This is because of the likelihood of material failure due to such growth. Hence, there is a need to study void growth mechanisms in an effort to understand the parameters governing it. In this work, numerical and experimental studies of Void growth, and the parameters that affect it, in a superplastically deforming (SPD) metal have been performed. In the numerical studies, using the finite-element method, a 1x2 sized thin plate (i.e. plane stress conditions) of a viscoplastic material with pre-existing holes has been subjected to a constant extension rate. The experimental studies were performed under similar conditions to the numerical ones and provided for qualitative comparison. The parameters affecting void growth in SPD are: m (the strain-rate sensitivity), void size (i.e. diameter) and the number (density) of existing voids. The results showed that increased m values produced strengthening and decreased the rate of void growth. In addition, larger initial void size (or, equivalently, a larger initial void fraction) had the effect of weakening the specimen through causing accelerated void growth. Finally, multiple holes had the effect of increasing the metal ductility by reducing the extent of necking and its onset. This was realized through diffusing the plastic deformation at the different hole sites and reducing the stress concentration. The numerical results were in good qualitative agreement with the experiment and suggested the need to refine existing phenomenological void growth models to include the dependence on the void fraction. (C) 2001 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.