Ductile fracture initiated by interface nucleation in two-phase elastoplastic systems

Dual-phase materials often show damage nucleation along the interface between the two phases followed by void growth and coalescence. This failure mechanism is investigated using a microstructure model with both phases deforming plastically according to a physics-based hardening law. The interface is modeled as a cohesive zone whose constitutive behavior is described by a bi-linear traction–separation law. The interface is specified with a weak …