Finite Element Analysis of the Effect of Porosity on the Plasticity and Damage Behavior of Mg AZ31 and Al 6061 T651 Alloys

Porosity has been known to have a profound effect on a material’s mechanical properties, often weakening the material. Highly porous metallic materials prove troublesome for supporting a load-based structure due to the voids that are present throughout the microstructure of the material. In this study, the previously developed ISV damage plasticity model is used to investigate the effect of the porosity on aluminum alloy 6061-T651 and magnesium alloy AZ31 through finite element analysis (FEA). It is determined that porosity has a profound impact on the strength of the aluminum alloy and much lesser effect on the magnesium alloy. Porosity is also shown to affect other properties of the materials, such as the hardness and pore growth.