Abstract
The correct prediction of ductile fracture of mechanical components requires the knowledge of physical quantities that are in the plastic field. This region is characterized by non-linearities, and the classical yield criteria cannot be applied since they work only in the elastic field. It has been observed that parameters such as stress triaxiality and plastic strain play a determinant role in failure mechanisms. Thanks to simulation software, it is possible to implement the virtual models capable of calculating these parameters numerically by solving partial differential equations. These parameters can then be used to describe the fracture locus of a material that, in turn, allows to predict failure of a component. In this work, the Rice and Tracey damage model was calibrated for an aluminum alloy and validated on a punch test exploiting Finite Element Analysis. Good agreement between experimental observations and numerical results was obtained, demonstrating the capability of the considered model to predict failure on a real test case.