Ductile fracture depends on the loading path, microscopic damage nucleation and growth, strain
rate and the temperature. Failure generally occurs when strain localizes into narrow bands, often
called shear bands, as a precursor to fracture. Therefore, the strain to the onset of localization
provides a reasonably accurate estimate of the ductility of the material. Computational models have
been developed to predict failure of ductile materials in the quasi-static rate-independent limit under
isothermal conditions, using porosity as the damage parameter. However, such models cannot
predict failure in cases where strain rates and temperature play a crucial role, like ship and
automobile collisions, creep and ballistic impacts. Ductile materials usually show positive strain
rate sensitivity and negative temperature sensitivity. At high strain rates, strain localizes into a
narrow band in a very short span of time, and the dissipated energy causes local adiabatic heating of
the material. Higher temperatures lead to thermal softening, which promotes strain localization.
This proposal aims to first extend the existing damage coupled failure models to predict strain
localization at low to moderate strain rates under isothermal conditions. Subsequently, the model
will be extended to high strain rates, including the effects of inertia and thermal softening due to
adiabatic heating of the material. Using finite element simulations, the model predictions for the
rate and temperature dependence of ductility will be validated by comparison with experimental
data from the literature.