Damage modeling of aluminum casting components considering defect distribution for crashworthiness prediction

Aluminum die casting components are widely used in vehicle constructions because of their good compromise between weight reduction and improvement of mechanical properties. The complex geometries of these components with inhomogeneous defect distribution are a relevant issue, as material with higher defect content shows lower fracture strain. It makes the analysis of the damage behavior for crash simulation more challenging. An extensive experimental investigation is required to quantify the scatter as well as the development of a suitable material model to describe it.