Strain Rate Dependent Plasticity

Category: Structural Analysis | Integrated 2026-04-06
CAE visualization for rate dependent plasticity theory - technical simulation diagram
Strain-Rate-Dependent Plasticity

Strain Rate Dependent Plasticity: Theoretical Foundations

Strain Rate Dependent Plasticity

🙋

Professor, does the yield stress change with strain rate?


🎓

When metals deform at high speeds, the yield stress increases. In impacts ($\dot{\varepsilon} = 10 \sim 1000$ /s), it becomes 1.2 to 1.5 times the static yield stress.


Representative Models

🎓
ModelEquationApplication
Cowper-Symonds$\sigma_Y(1+(\dot{\varepsilon}/C)^{1/p})$LS-DYNA MAT_24. Most common
Johnson-Cook$\sigma(1+C\ln\dot{\varepsilon}^*)$High-speed deformation + temperature
Perzyna$\dot{\varepsilon}^p = \gamma(f/\sigma_0)^n$Overstress model
🙋

Is Cowper-Symonds the most widely used?


🎓

Cowper-Symonds is standard in LS-DYNA MAT_24 for automotive crash. Representative parameters for steel (mild steel): $C = 40$ /s, $p = 5$.


Summary

🎓
  • Yield stress increases with high-speed deformation — 1.2 to 1.5 times in impact
  • Cowper-Symonds — Standard in LS-DYNA. Two parameters: $C, p$
  • Johnson-Cook — Includes temperature effects. Five parameters
  • Essential for impact/shock analysis — Static yield stress leads to underestimation

  • Coffee Break Yomoyama Talk

    Fundamentals of Viscoplasticity: Perzyna Rule

    Piotr Perzyna formulated a viscoplastic model in 1963 at the Polish Academy of Sciences, where the plastic strain rate becomes a function of the overstress (difference between current stress and static yield stress). The relation $\dot{\varepsilon}_p = \gamma \langle f(\sigma,\kappa)/k \rangle^n$ allows unified treatment of creep and dynamic plasticity. This "Perzyna viscoplasticity" became the theoretical starting point for high-speed deformation analysis.

    Computational Methods for Strain Rate Dependent Plasticity

    FEM Settings

    🎓

    LS-DYNA MAT_24:

    ```

    *MAT_PIECEWISE_LINEAR_PLASTICITY

    $ ..., C, p

    , , , , , , 40., 5.

    ```


    Abaqus:

    ```

    *RATE DEPENDENT, TYPE=POWER LAW

    D, p $ Cowper-Symonds

    ```

    Or:

    ```

    *RATE DEPENDENT, TYPE=JOHNSON COOK

    C, eps0

    ```


    Summary

    🎓
    • LS-DYNA MAT_24 — Cowper-Symonds built-in
    • Abaqus *RATE DEPENDENT — POWER LAW or JOHNSON COOK

    • Coffee Break Yomoyama Talk

      Identification of the Cowper-Symonds Equation

      The Cowper-Symonds equation σy=σ₀[1+(ε̇/D)^(1/q)] is a representative approximation for strain rate dependent yield stress. The widely cited Jones (1989) values for mild steel are D=40.4 s⁻¹, q=5. The standard procedure involves obtaining data at 10²~10⁴/s via Split Hopkinson Bar (SHPB) tests and determining the slope 1/q and D^(1/q) through least squares regression on a log-log plot.

      Strain Rate Dependent Plasticity in Practice

      Practical Checklist

      🎓
      • [ ] Is strain rate dependency set? (for impact/shock problems)
      • [ ] Are $C, p$ based on material tests (high-speed tension, SHPB)?
      • [ ] Is the used strain rate range within the parameter fitting range?
      • [ ] Is temperature rise (adiabatic heating) considered? (for high-speed deformation)

      • Coffee Break Yomoyama Talk

        Application to Explosive Protection Design

        In IED (Improvised Explosive Device) protection analysis, the strain rate dependence of armor steel RHA (Rolled Homogeneous Armour) directly affects design quality. Set Cowper-Symonds coefficients in LS-DYNA MAT_024 to predict deformation behavior within 1ms after explosion. Practical accuracy has been verified since the 2010s through protection performance simulations for different NATO STANAG 4569 levels.

        Strain Rate Dependent Plasticity: Software & Solver Comparison

        Tools

        🎓
        • LS-DYNA MAT_24 — Cowper-Symonds. Industry standard for crash
        • Abaqus *RATE DEPENDENT — Various rate-dependent models
        • Supported by all solvers — Fundamental for shock analysis

        • Coffee Break Yomoyama Talk

          LS-DYNA Strain Rate Options

          LS-DYNA offers diverse SR (strain rate effect) options in material cards. For MAT_024, VP (viscoplastic flag)=0 uses equivalent plastic strain rate, VP=1 uses volumetric strain rate. MAT_019 (STRAIN_RATE_DEPENDENT_PLASTICITY) directly implements the Perzyna rule and is used for high-precision impact analysis. From R14 (2023), a diagnostic display function for effects was added.

          Advanced Technology

          Advanced

          🎓
          • Physics-based models (Zerilli-Armstrong, MTS) — Strain rate dependence based on dislocation theory
          • Ultra-high speed ($10^6$ /s and above) — Material response in laser shock, hypervelocity impact
          • Negative strain rate sensitivity in aluminum alloys — Phenomenon where strength decreases as speed increases in some Al alloys

          • Coffee Break Yomoyama Talk

            Crystal Plasticity and Strain Rate

            In crystal plasticity theory (Crystal Plasticity), slip system

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