On the Propagation of Lu¨ders Bands in Steel Strips

The initiation and propagation of Lu¨ders-type localized deformation in thin, fine grained steel strips in tension is studied through combined experimental and analytical efforts. Purely elastic deformation is terminated (upper yield stress) by localized deformation which tends to initiate along preferred directions. The strain level associated with this material instability is limited to two to five percent. When this strain level is achieved locally, the instability propagates via inclined fronts which separate coexisting regions of essentially elastic and plastically deformed materials. Under displacement controlled stretching, one or two fronts propagate in a steady-state manner (lower yield stress). The propagation of one and two fronts are simulated numerically using finite element models in which the material is modeled as a finitely deforming elastoplastic solid with an up-down-up nominal stress-strain response. The simulations capture the major events observed in the experiments such as the initiation process, the propagation of inclined fronts, kinking of the strip and the build up of moments, and the periodic straightening and moment reduction through transient events. This confirms that structural effects play a major role in the evolution of observed events. [S0021-8936(00)01604-4]