Coupled constitutive model of damage affected two-phase continuum

A broad class of metastable materials, including selected alloys (e.g. stainless steels) used for applications in radiation environment (particle accelerators), is characterized by simultaneous occurrence of the plastic strain driven phase transformation and evolution of nano/micro damage. Plastic flow in such materials is usually accompanied by dynamic evolution of microstructure, resulting from the strain induced fcc-bcc phase transformation. Two-phase continuum is composed of austenitic matrix (fcc) and martensitic inclusions (bcc), represented by type Eshelby ellipsoidal entities embedded in ductile matrix. The matrix remains entirely plastic, and contains micro-cracks and micro-voids representing ductile damage. On the other hand, the inclusions are characterized by much higher yield stress and their behavior is generally brittle. Thus, brittle damage develops in the inclusions. The origin of damage is mechanical (manufacturing and load induced defects), and related to the source of radiation (primary or secondary particles flux). Among the lattice defects induced by radiation, the clusters of nano/micro voids are accounted for. The constitutive model takes into account the evolution of mechanically and radiation induced nano/micro damage in the presence of microstructure evolution, reflected by the plastic strain driven dynamic change of proportions between the matrix and the inclusions. The model is multiscale since the processes that occur at different scales (micro, meso, macro) are addressed, and coupled, since both phenomena: phase transformation and damage are described by coupled equations. Application to irradiated corrugated shells, components of thermo-mechanical compensation systems, are presented.