A Novel Discrete, Mesoscale Modeling Framework for the Simulation of the Damaging and Fracturing Behavior of Composites

Abstract

A novel, discrete approach for the modeling of fiber reinforced composite materials which explicitly models the complex mesostructure is introduced. Fibers and fiber tows are represented as Timoshenko beam elements, and the mechanical behavior of the matrix is defined by vectorial constitutive laws expressed on facets obtained from the tessellation process in a tetrahedral mesh. For the mesoscale model generation, a computationally efficient, robust, and highly parallelized scheme is presented which is capable of generating laminates with fiber volume fractions higher than 60%. Thanks to the explicit description, the constitutive laws of each constituent materials do not require complex mathematical equations and are physics-based with clearly defined material parameters. To demonstrate the predictive capability of the model, uniaxial experiments are simulated for IM7/977-3 utilizing the novel framework. The investigated loading conditions include longitudinal tension/compression and transverse tension/compression. It is shown that the model is capable of capturing the strength of IM7/977-3 in both longitudinal and transverse directions. The damage mechanisms such as shear band formation and fiber micro-buckling are captured with the model using physics-based and clearly defined material parameters, thanks to the explicit description of fibers and matrix.