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Complex constitutive equations including non‐linear kinematic as well as isotropic hardening rules are introduced in the framework of the finite element method to analyse the behaviour of structures in quasi‐static elasto‐viscoplasticity under cyclic loadings. An implicit time marching process is developed together with a substructuring technique and the corresponding numerical details are underlined. Practical examples are treated to demonstrate the capabilities of the proposed finite element code.

The analysis of error estimation is addressed in the framework of viscoplasticity problems, this is to say, of incompressible and non‐linear materials. Firstly, Zienkiewicz—Zhu (Z²) type error estimators are studied. They are based on the comparison between the finite element solution and a continuous solution which is computed by smoothing technique. From numerical examples, it is shown that the choice of a finite difference smoothing method (Orkisz’ method) improves the precision and the efficiency of this type of estimator. Then a Δ estimator is introduced. It makes it possible to take into account the fact that the smoothed solution does not verify the balance equations. On the other hand, it leads us to introduce estimators for the velocity error according to the L² and L^∞norms, since in metal forming this error is as important as the energy error. These estimators are applied to an industrial problem of extrusion, demonstrating all the potential of the adaptive remeshing method for forming processes.

An elasto‐viscoplastic constitutive model valid under general complex cyclic loadings is proposed to describe the multiaxial behaviour of engineering metallic materials. Its numerical implementation in the framework of the finite element method is underlined. Its application to the prediction of some various tests is compared to the experimental responses.

Implicit solutions in viscoplastic analysis of structures are very often avoided due to the fact that they lead to non‐symmetric systems of equations. On the other hand, structures such as soils have a marked non‐associate behaviour that has to be taken into consideration. Here the implicit solutions are formulated in a way that, even for non‐associate models, the system of equations is kept as symmetric. Apart from an ‘exact’ formulation of the algorithm other possibilities are considered and tested in the numerical examples given.

The aim of the model is to represent the main features of soft or brittle rock strata, using a small number of physically‐meaningful material parameters. The yield surface is based on either the Mohr—Coulomb or Hoek—Brown criterion, and a simple small‐dilation flow rule allows the implicit algorithm of elasto‐viscoplasticity to be used. Elastic—brittle plastic behaviour is modelled, resulting in stress discontinuities across the interface between intact and failed rock. The effects of lamination and jointing are taken into account. Results are presented for a tunnelling problem with axial symmetry.

This study aims to propose a novel viscoelastic–viscoplastic combined constitutive model for glassy amorphous polymers within the framework of thermodynamics at finite strain that is capable of capturing their rate-dependent inelastic mechanical behavior in wide ranges of deformation rate and amount.

The rheology model whose viscoelastic and viscoplastic elements are connected in series is set in accordance with the multi-mechanism theory. Then, the constitutive functions are formulated on the basis of the multiplicative decomposition of the deformation gradient implicated by the rheology model within the framework of thermodynamics. Dynamic mechanical analysis (DMA) and loading/unloading/no-load tests for polycarbonate (PC) are conducted to identify the material parameters and demonstrate the capability of the proposed model.

The performance was validated in comparison with the series of the test results with different rates and amounts of deformation before unloading together. It has been confirmed that the proposed model can accommodate various material behaviors empirically observed, such as rate-dependent elasticity, elastic hysteresis, strain softening, orientation hardening and strain recovery.

This paper presents a novel rheological constitutive model in which the viscoelastic element connected in series with the viscoplastic one exclusively represents the elastic behavior, and each material response is formulated according to the multiplicatively decomposed deformation gradients. In particular, the yield strength followed by the isotropic hardening reflects the relaxation characteristics in the viscoelastic constitutive functions so that the glass transition temperature could be variant within the wide range of deformation rate. Consequently, the model enables us to properly represent the loading process up to large deformation regime followed by unloading and no-load processes.

In Simo and Taylor, the classical radial return algorithm of Wilkins and Krieg and Key for plane strain and three‐dimensional J2‐flow theory, is extended to the case of plane stress. In three dimensions (or plane strain), enforcement of the discrete consistency condition reduces to a simple radial scaling of the trial stress onto the yield surface; i.e., the return map is radial. In plane stress, on the other hand, the return map, that restores the trial stress back to the yield surface, is constrained to remain in the plane stress subspace, and thus no longer reduces to a simple radial scaling. The determination of the final stress point from the trial stress now involves the solution by Newton's method of a non‐linear scalar equation, referred to as the discrete consistency equation in what follows, that yields the discrete consistency parameter λn+>0. The requirement that λn+>1 be positive is a direct consequence of the discrete Kuhn‐Tucker optimality conditions.

In power electronics, there are various metallic material systems used as die attachments. The complete understanding of the thermomechanical behavior of such interconnections is very important. Therefore, this paper aims to examine the thermomechanical response of four famous die attach materials, including sintered silver, sintered nano-copper particles, gold-tin solders and silver-tin transient liquid phase (TLP) bonds, using nonlinear finite element analysis.

During the study, the mechanical properties of all die attach systems, including elastic and viscoplasticity parameters, are obtained from literature studies and hence incorporated into the numerical analysis. Subsequently, the bond stress–strain relationships, stored inelastic strain energies and equivalent plastic strains are thoroughly examined.

The results showed that the silver-tin TLP bonds are more likely to develop higher inelastic strain energy densities, while the sintered silver and copper interconnects would possess higher plastic strains and deformations. Suggesting higher damage to such metallic die attachments. The expensive gold-based solders have developed least inelastic strain energy densities and least plastic strains as well. Thus, they are expected to have improved fatigue performance compared to other bonding configurations.

This paper extensively investigates and compares the mechanical and thermal response of various metallic die attachments. In fact, there are no available research studies that discuss the behavior of such important die attachments of power electronics when exposed to mechanical and thermomechanical loads.

This paper gives a review of the finite element techniques (FE) applied in the area of material processing. The latest trends in metal forming, non‐metal forming, powder metallurgy and composite material processing are briefly discussed. The range of applications of finite elements on these subjects is extremely wide and cannot be presented in a single paper; therefore the aim of the paper is to give FE researchers/users only an encyclopaedic view of the different possibilities that exist today in the various fields mentioned above. An appendix included at the end of the paper presents a bibliography on finite element applications in material processing for 1994‐1996, where 1,370 references are listed. This bibliography is an updating of the paper written by Brannberg and Mackerle which has been published in Engineering Computations, Vol. 11 No. 5, 1994, pp. 413‐55.

The purpose of this paper is to develop a constitutive model in cyclic viscoplasticity of perfluoroelastomers that accounts for the Mullins effect and to determine adjustable parameters in the stress‐strain relations by fitting observations in mechanical tests.

A perfluoroelastomer with a complicated internal structure is modeled as an equivalent incompressible, permanent, non‐affine network of chains with constrained mobility. Its viscoplastic response at finite strains is treated as sliding of junctions between chains with respect to their reference positions. Damage accumulation is associated with acceleration of plastic flow of junctions driven by growth of free volume. Stress‐strain relations are derived by using the Clausius‐Duhem inequality.

Constitutive equations are developed that correctly describe the mechanical behavior of perfluoroelastomers under cyclic loading with stress‐ and strain‐controlled deformation programs and arbitrary numbers of cycles. Adjustable parameters in the stress‐strain relations are found by matching experimental data in uniaxial tensile tests. Numerical simulation demonstrates that the model adequately predicts characteristic features of the Mullins effect.

A constitutive model is derived that can be applied for description of the viscoplastic response in perfluoroelastomers at cyclic loading with complicated deformation programs and prediction of their time to failure under fatigue conditions.