Cast Iron

Advanced Material Modelling Lecture Series

1 2016 ANSYS, Inc. April 28, 2016

 Overview
Classification of Cast Iron
Background on Grey Cast Iron
Cast Iron plasticity model: assumptions
Cast Iron plasticity model: yield criterion
Defining the Cast Iron plasticity model
Element support for the Cast Iron plasticity model
Post-processing considerations
Summary
ANSYS documentation on the Cast Iron plasticity model
Suggested reading

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 Classification of Cast Iron
Cast Iron includes a wide range of iron alloys:

Contains appreciable amount of carbon and silicon in

alloy (silicon for softening affect), which affect
mechanical behavior;

Cooling rate also affects properties;

Cast iron has many advantages, including low cost, ability

to cast into complex shapes, good damping capabilities,
etc.;

Cast iron includes gray cast iron, nodular (ductile) cast

iron, white cast iron, malleable cast iron, etc. Each has
specific characteristics and microstructure.

Subsequent discussion will focus on gray cast iron, on which

this MAPDL material model is based.

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 Background on Grey Cast Iron
Gray Cast Iron is comprised of graphite flakes in a
pearlite/ferrite matrix.

Unlike steels, which usually have < 1% carbon, gray cast

iron contains > 2% carbon. The excess carbon precipitate
forms graphite flakes in the steel matrix during
solidification.

In compression, graphite flakes do not have a significant

effect on material behavior, and inelastic response is
dominated by ductile steel.

In tension, these graphite flakes act as stress raisers

which cause localized plastic flow at low stresses (1/3 -
1/5 of compressive strength) and can eventually initiate
fracture (i.e., low strength in tension). The cracks also
result in inelastic volume change.

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 Background on Grey Cast Iron
The microstructure of gray cast iron can be looked at as a two-
phase material with graphite flakes embedded in a steel
matrix. This microstructure leads to a substantial different
behavior in tension and compression.

In tension, the material is more brittle with low strength and

cracks form due to the graphite flakes.

In compression, no cracks form and the graphite flakes behave

as incompressible media that transmit stress and the steel
matrix governs the overall behavior.

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 Cast Iron plasticity model: assumptions
The model is used to simulate grey cast iron;

The elastic behavior is assumed to be isotropic;

The elastic behavior is assumed to be the same in tension

and compression;

The model is for plastic, not brittle response. It does not

simulate fracture or failure;

The model allows to differentiate yield strength values and

hardening behaviors in tension and compression;

The plastic behavior is assumed to harden isotropically and

that restricts the model to monotonic loading only.

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 Cast Iron plasticity model: assumptions
Inelastic strains are assumed to be incompressible in
compression (npl = 0.5);

Inelastic volume change in tension is governed by a user-

input plastic Poissons ratio. Although this value may vary
with stress, MAPDL assumes that the plastic Poissons ratio
only varies with temperature;

The model cannot be combined with any other material

model.

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 Cast Iron plasticity model: assumptions

Idealized response of Grey Cast Iron in tension and compression

Source: ANSYS Documentation, Theory Reference, section 4.2.19.

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 Cast Iron plasticity model: yield criterion
A composite yield surface is used to describe the different
behavior in tension and compression.

The tension behavior is pressure-dependent and the Rankine

maximum stress criterion is used. This criterion can be
represented as a box in the 3D principal stress space (rectangle
in 2D).

The compression behavior is pressure-independent and the von

Mises yield criterion is used. This criterion can be represented
as a cylinder in the 3D principal stress space (an ellipse in 2D).

In the principal stress space, the yield surface is a cylinder with

a tension cutoff (cap).

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 Cast Iron plasticity model: yield criterion
s2 s1
3D Principal Stress Space
2D Principal Stress Space

s3
s1

s2
Cross section of yield surface: 2D view Cross section of the yield surface: 3D view

Cast Iron is assumed to have von Mises yield criterion in

compression and Rankine yield criterion in tension. This forms
a composite yield surface.

The tensile flow potential gives a nonassociated flow model

and results in an unsymmetric material stiffness tensor. As
such, the option NROPT,UNSYM is recommended if
convergence difficulties arise.
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 Cast Iron plasticity model: yield criterion

q=60

Cross section of yield surface: 3D view Cast Iron yield surface

Source: ANSYS Documentation, Material Reference, section 4.4.7.

Figure on the left shows that going from the tip of the
composite yield surface along the outside (parallel to the axis
of the cylinder), the two yellow lines will differ.

Figure on the right shows the yield surfaces plotted in the

meridional plane in which the ordinate and abscissa are von
Mises equivalent stress and pressure, respectively.
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 Defining the Cast Iron plasticity model
The Cast Iron plasticity model is available in MAPDL via the
TB,CAST command or via the MAPDL GUI. It can be
introduced into Workbench Mechanical by means of a
command object. Below is the step-by-step procedure to follow
for its definition:

1. Input elastic material properties in Engineering Data

2. Define the Cast Iron plasticity model via TB,CAST

3. Input the plastic Poissons ratio via TBDATA

4. Define uniaxial stress-strain curves in tension and

compression via TB,UNIAXIAL

5. Use TBTEMP if constants are temperature-dependent

(with a maximum of 10 temperature sets)

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 Defining the Cast Iron plasticity model
Example of APDL syntax to use in a command object to define
the Cast Iron plasticity model
e = 100000 ! Young's modulus
nupl = 0.03 ! Plastic Poisson's ratio

epsy_t = 0.055E-2 ! Strain value at yielding in tension

epsy_c = 0.203E-2 ! Strain value at yielding in compression

sigy_t = e*epsy_t ! Stress value at yielding in tension

sigy_c = e*epsy_c ! Stress value at yielding in compression

tb,cast,matid,,,isotropic
tbdata,1,nupl

tb,uniaxial,matid,1,5,tension
tbpt,,epsy_t,sigy_t
tbpt,,0.10E-02,90
tbpt,,0.25E-02,166
tbpt,,0.35E-02,199
tbpt,,0.45E-02,222

tb,uniaxial,matid,1,5,compression
tbpt,,epsy_c,sigy_c
tbpt,,0.50E-02,345
tbpt,,0.80E-02,401
tbpt,,1.10E-02,453
tbpt,,1.40E-02,483

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 Defining the Cast Iron plasticity model
Such a constitutive equation is also available in the MAPDL
Graphical User Interface as shown below:

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 Defining the Cast Iron plasticity model
Material parameters description:

NUPL in tension
User-defined plastic Poissons ratio in tension. This value
determines the amount of volumetric expansion during
tensile plastic deformation. Although it may vary with stress,
ANSYS assumes it only varies with temperature.

Uniaxial Compression Curve and Uniaxial Tension Curve

Define uniaxial stress-strain curve in compression and
tension respectively. The maximum number of pairs of stress-
strain data is 20.

Material parameters can be temperature-dependent and up

to 10 temperature sets can be defined.

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 Defining the Cast Iron plasticity model
If not specified beforehand, there will be a reminder regarding
the definition of the elastic properties of the material:

Next, linear elastic properties should be defined:

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 Defining the Cast Iron plasticity model
It should be noted that the first stress/strain pair defined in the
uniaxial tension/compression curve needs to be consistent with
the specified Youngs modulus otherwise an error is
encountered.

For example, the following material properties will generate

such an error:

In fact 54 / 0.55e-3 = 98181.8182 does not match 100000 as

specified.
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 Element support for the Cast Iron
plasticity model
Supported elements for the Cast Iron plasticity model are the
following:

PLANE182 (not applicable for plane stress)

PLANE183 (not applicable for plane stress)
SOLID185, SOLID186, SOLID187, SOLSH190,
CPT212, CPT213, CPT215, CPT216, CPT217,
PLANE223, SOLID226, SOLID227,
SOLID272, SOLID273, SOLID285, PIPE288, PIPE289

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 Post-processing considerations
Computation of equivalent plastic strains

When viewing equivalent plastic strains, notice that ANSYS

assumes a Poissons ratio of 0.5 (i.e. plastic strains are
incompressible), therefore:

In compression, due to the fact that the Cast Iron plasticity

models assumes incompressible plastic strains, this is
consistent;

In tension, due to the fact that the Cast Iron plasticity

model simulates compressible plastic strains (i.e. the
plastic Poissons ratio is an input requirement), this
requires users to consider another way (e.g. an APDL
macro) to post-process these quantities.

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 Summary

The Cast Iron plasticity model is used to model grey cast iron

Elastic properties in tension and compression are the same

Yield strength and hardening can be different in tension and

compression

The model requires the plastic Poissons ratio in tension and the
uniaxial stress-strain curve in tension and compression

The hardening behavior is isotropic

Up to 10 temperature-dependent sets can be inputted

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 ANSYS documentation on the Cast Iron
plasticity model
The Cast Iron plasticity model is documented in the online
manual:
ANSYS Documentation > Mechanical APDL > Material Reference >
4. Nonlinear Material Properties > 4.4. Rate-Independent Plasticity > 4.4.7 Cast Iron
ANSYS Documentation > Mechanical APDL > Theory Reference >
4. Structures with Material Nonlinearities > 4.2. Rate-Independent Plasticity >
4.2.19 Cast Iron Material Model

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 Suggested Reading

Hjelm, H. E. Yield Surface for Gray Cast iron under Biaxial Stress. Journal of
Engineering Materials and Technology. 116.2 (1994): 148-154.

Chen, W. F., D. J. Han. Plasticity for Structural Engineers. New York: Springer-
Verlag, 1988.

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