Constitutive modeling of cyclic plasticity and creep, using an internal time concept

Using the concept of an internal time as related to plastic strains, a differential stress-strain relation for elastoplasticity is rederived, such that (1) the concept of a yield-surface is retained; (2) the definitions of elastic and plastic processes are analogous to those in classical plasticity theory; and (3) its computational implementation, via a 'tangent-stiffness' finite element method and a 'generalized-midpoint-radial-return' stress-integration algorithm, is simple and efficient. Also, using the concept of an internal time, as related to both the inelastic strains as well as the Newtonian time, a constitutive model for creep-plasticity interaction, is discussed. The problem of modeling experimental data for plasticity and creep, by the present analytical relations, as accurately as desired, is discussed. Numerical examples which illustrate the validity of the present relations are presented for the cases of cyclic plasticity and creep.