Modeling of cyclic ratchetting plasticity, part i: Development of constitutive relations

The existing plasticity models recognize that’ ratchetting direction strongly depends on the loading path, the stress amplitude, and the mean stresses, but their predictions deviate from experiments for a number of materials. We propose an Armstrong- Frederick type hardening rule utilizing the concept of a limiting surface for the backstresses. The model predicts long-term ratchetting rate decay as well as constant ratchetting rate for both proportional and nonproportional loadings. To represent the transient behavior, the model encompasses a memory surface in the deviatoric stress space which recalls the maximum stress level of the prior loading history. The coefficients in the hardening rule, varying as a function of the accumulated plastic strain, serve to represent the cyclic hardening or softening. The stress level effect on ratchetting and non-Masing behavior are realized with the size of the introduced memory surface. Simulations with the model checked favorably with nonproportional multiaxial experiments which are outlined in Part 2 of this paper.