Extended mean-field homogenization of viscoelastic-viscoplastic polymer composites undergoing hybrid progressive degradation induced by interface debonding and matrix ductile damage

Abstract

Abstract In this contribution, a probabilistic micromechanics damage framework is presented to predict the macroscopic stress–strain response and progressive damage in unidirectional glass-reinforced thermoplastic polymer composites. Motivated by different failure modes observed experimentally, the damage mechanism in the vicinity of the fibers (namely, the interphase) is characterized by initiating and growing voids. The mechanisms can be formulated through a Weibull probabilistic density function. In contrast, the ductile progressive degradation of matrix initial stiffness is analyzed via the continuum damage theory. To accommodate different damage mechanisms in the matrix and the interphase, a three-phase Mori-Tanaka (MT) method and transformation field analysis approach (TFA) are established within a unified framework that allows simulation of both ductile and discrete damages in different phases. Moreover, the rate-dependent viscoelastic and viscoplastic response of the polymer matrix phase is modelled through a phenomenological model consisting of four Kelvin-Voigt branches and a viscoplastic branch under the thermodynamics framework. The reliability and efficiency of the modified mean-field damage model, based on TFA and Mori-Tanaka scheme, are assessed by comparing the simulated stress-strain response against full-field Abaqus simulations under both unidirectional and multiaxial nonproportional loading paths at different loading rates. The developed model provides an efficient alternative to the finite-element based full-field homogenization schemes or other mean-field micromechanics techniques that may be compared, as well as a framework for a potential extension of the theory for simulating damage evolution in composites with random reinforcement orientations.