Onset of void coalescence in uniaxial tension studied by continuous X-ray tomography

Void growth and coalescence in model materials containing a pre-existing three-dimensional void array were studied by X-ray computed tomography coupled with in situ uniaxial tensile deformation. A newly developed continuous tomography technique was employed to capture the onset of coalescence. Using a picosecond laser machining system and a diffusion bonding technique, model materials with different void geometries were prepared. By implementing continuous tomography, the plastic strain at the onset of void coalescence was measured (instead of simple linkage) for the first time. The plastic strains at the onset of void coalescence were compared with the existing void coalescence models. Finite-element (FE) simulations were performed to study the influences of void shape (sphere, cylinder, tapered-cylinder) on the void growth behavior. This study shows that the coalescence models developed by Thomason and later extended by Pardoen and Hutchinson provide accurate predictions of coalescence strain when the voids are aligned normal to the tensile axis. However, offsets can induce shear effects that lower the coalescence strain in a manner not predicted by the models. Two-dimensional plane-strain FE simulations were also used to explore the influence of shear localization between two misaligned coalescing voids on ductility. These demonstrate the nature of the effect.