A new model for porous nonlinear viscous solids incorporating void shape effects - II: Numerical validation

The aim of this work is to critically assess the new model for porous, nonlinear viscous solids incorporating void shape effects proposed in Part I, by comparing its predictions with the results of some numerical micromechanical simulations. Two kinds of simulations are performed. First, the gauge surface of spheroidal representative volume elements, as considered in Part I, is determined for various values of the porosity, the aspect ratio of the void and the Norton exponent. This is done through minimization of the macroscopic viscous potential over a family of trial velocity fields especially adapted to the spheroidal geometry, which was proposed by Lee and Mear. Such simulations allow not only for satisfactory validation of the approximate analytical gauge surface proposed, but also for adjustment of the heuristic coefficients involved in the evolution equation for the void shape parameter. Second, the evolution in time of cylindrical cells subjected to various mechanical loads is determined by the finite element method. The quasi-periodicity of this new geometry is intended to approximately represent interactions between neighbouring voids. These simulations also reveal very good agreement between model predictions and numerical calculations, provided that the effect of the new geometry considered is accounted for by using a non-unity value for the analog of Tvergaard's famous “q1” parameter for porous plastic solids.