To create or edit plasticity:

Display the connector section editor using one of the following methods:

To create a new connector section, follow the procedure outlined in “Creating connector sections,” Section 15.11.6.

To edit an existing connector section, select ConnectorSectionManager from the main menu bar, select the connector section from the list that appears, and click Edit.

In the Edit Connector Section dialog box, do one of the following:

To define a new plasticity behavior, click Add and select Plasticity from the menu that appears.

To edit an existing plasticity behavior, select the behavior from the Behavior Options list to display the associated data fields for that behavior.

If you are defining uncoupled plasticity behavior,

Choose Uncoupled in the Coupling field to specify forces/moments as a tabular function of their respective available components of relative motion.

In the Force/Moment field, toggle on the forces or moments that are consistent with the available components of relative motion for which you are defining plasticity behavior. If the behavior is the same for multiple components, you can define a single plasticity behavior that will use this one function. If the behavior is different for multiple components, you must define separate plasticity behaviors.

If you are defining coupled plasticity behavior,

Choose Coupled in the Coupling field.

Select the Force Potential tabbed page, and define at least one force potential term. For more information, see “Specifying potential terms,” Section 15.15.15.

Choose the hardening behavior.

Choose Specify isotropic hardening to define the initial yield value and, optionally, the evolution of the yield surface size, , as a function of the equivalent plastic relative motion, .

Choose Specify kinematic hardening to define the translation of the yield surface in force space through the backforce, .

At least one hardening behavior, isotropic or kinematic, must be defined. You can select both types of hardening to define a combined isotropic/kinematic hardening behavior.

If you selected Specify isotropic hardening:

Select the Isotropic Hardening tabbed page.

Choose the Definition.

Toggle on Tabular to specify the force-constitutive motion data directly in tabular form.

Toggle on Exponential Law to specify the material parameters of the exponential law used to calculate the equivalent force defining the size of the yield surface.

If you selected Specify kinematic hardening:

Select the Kinematic Hardening tabbed page.

Choose the Definition.

Toggle on Half-cycle to specify the force-constitutive motion data obtained from the first half cycle of a unidirectional tension or compression experiment.

Toggle on Stabilized to specify the force-constitutive motion data obtained from the stabilized cycle of a specimen that is subjected to symmetric cycles.

Toggle on Parameters to specify the material parameters directly.

To define behavior data that depend on temperature or field variables, do the following on the Isotropic Hardening or Kinematic Hardening tabbed page:

Toggle on Use temperature-dependent data to define behavior data that vary with temperature. A column labeled Temp appears in the tabular data area.

To define behavior data that depend on field variables, click the arrows to the right of the Number of field variables field to increase or decrease the number of field variables. Field variable columns appear in the tabular data area.

Enter plastic hardening data in the tables on the Isotropic Hardening and/or Kinematic Hardening tabbed pages. You can enter data into the tables using the keyboard. Alternatively, you can click mouse button 3 anywhere in the tables to view a list of options for specifying tabular data. For detailed information on each option, see “Entering tabular data,” Section 3.2.7.

Select one of the following:

If you want to continue defining behaviors, click Add, select the desired behavior, and continue the connector section definition. For instructions on defining other behaviors, see “Using the connector section editors,” Section 15.15.

If you want to view or edit an existing behavior, select it from the Behavior Options list. For instructions on editing behaviors, see “Using the connector section editors,” Section 15.15.

If you want to save your connector section definition and exit the editor, click OK.