A theory of strain-gradient plasticity for isotropic, plastically irrotational materials. Part II: Finite deformations

This paper generalizes to finite deformations our companion paper [Gurtin, M.E., Anand, L., 2004. A theory of strain-gradient plasticity for isotropic, plastically irrotational materials. Part I: Small deformations. Journal of the Mechanics and Physics of Solids, submitted]. Specifically, we develop a gradient theory for finite-deformation isotropic viscoplasticity in the absence of plastic spin. The theory is based on the Kröner–Lee decomposition F = FeFp of the deformation gradient into elastic and plastic parts; a system of microstresses consistent with a microforce balance; a mechanical version of the second law that includes, via microstresses, work performed during viscoplastic flow; a constitutive theory that allows:•the microstresses to depend on ∇Dp, the gradient of the plastic stretching,•the free energy ψ to depend on the Burgers tensor G = FpCurlFp.The microforce balance when augmented by constitutive relations for the microstresses results in a nonlocal flow rule in the form of a tensorial second-order partial differential equation for Fp. The microstresses are strictly dissipative when ψ is independent of the Burgers tensor, but when ψ depends on G the microstresses are partially energetic, and this, in turn, leads to backstresses and (hence) Bauschinger-effects in the flow rule. The typical macroscopic boundary conditions are supplemented by nonstandard microscopic boundary conditions associated with viscoplastic flow, and, as an aid to numerical solution, a weak (virtual power) formulation of the nonlocal flow rule is derived. Finally, the dependences of the microstresses on ∇Dp are shown, analytically, to result in strengthening and possibly weakening of the body induced by viscoplastic flow.