An elastoplastic formulation for mechanical-electrochemical corrosion damage under cyclic loading

Abstract

This paper presents an elastoplastic framework for mechanical-electrochemical damage in metals for simulating corrosion fatigue. The proposed numerical approach combines classical rate-independent isotropic von Mises elastoplasticity with an electrochemical kinetics model to simulate anodic dissolution-driven corrosion. The model’s capabilities are demonstrated through benchmark tests and experiments. A hollow specimen was tested in a water environment, incorporating a membrane electrode for corrosion potential measurement and potential drop for crack initiation detection. The formulation accurately reproduces key features of corrosion fatigue, including diverse pit morphologies, time-dependent corrosion kinetics and the formation of multiple crack initiation sites, consistent with experiments.