Some properties of the dissipative model of strain-gradient plasticity

A theoretical and computational investigation is carried out of a dissipative model of rate-independent strain-gradient plasticity and its regularisation. It is shown that the flow relation, when expressed in terms of the Cauchy stress, is necessarily global. The most convenient approach to formulating the flow relation is through the use of a dissipation function. It is shown, however, that the task of obtaining the dual version, in the form of a normality relation, is a complex one. A numerical investigation of problems in two space dimensions casts further light on the response using the dissipative theory in situations of non-proportional loading. The elastic gap, a feature reported in recent investigations, is observed in situations in which passivation has been imposed. The computational study indicates that the gap may be regarded as an efficient path between a load-deformation response corresponding to micro-free boundary conditions, and that corresponding to micro-hard boundary conditions, in which plastic strains are set equal to zero on all or part of the boundary.