A modeling approach for the complete ductile–brittle transition region: cohesive zone in combination with a non-local Gurson-model

The present study deals with the simulation of crack propagation in the ductile–brittle transition region on the macro-scale. In contrast to most studies in the literature, not only the ductile softening by void growth and coalescence is incorporated but also the particular material degradation by cleavage. A non-local Gurson-type model is employed together with a cohesive zone to simulate both failure mechanisms simultaneously. This consistent formulation of a boundary value problem allows arbitrary high mesh resolutions. The results show that the model captures qualitative effects of corresponding experiments such as the cleavage initiation in front of a stretch zone, the formation of secondary cracks and possible crack arrest. The influence of the temperature on the predicted toughness is reproduced in the whole ductile–brittle transition region without introducing temperature-dependent fit parameters. A comparison with experimental data shows that the shift of the ductile–brittle transition temperature associated with a lower crack-tip constraint can be predicted quantitatively.