Published online by Cambridge University Press: 05 May 2011
A material function of endochronic theory is proposed for investigating the plastic behaviors of material. Depending on the material parameters properly chosen, the present model can be classified into four categories, and is appropriate for describing various materials behaving cyclic strain hardening inherently with respect to the deformation history. Experimental verification of the theory was demonstrated using the experimental results of Shiao [1] and Lamba and Sidebottom [2]. The theory is in good agreement with experimental results obtained by Shiao [1] through comparing the stress-strain hysteresis loops of SAE 4340 steel under axisymmetrically cyclic loading condition with various amplitudes. In addition, the present model is shown to be capable of describing the behavior of erasure of memory of materials, as experimentally observed by Lamba and Sidebottom [2].