A micro-macro relationship for modeling the damage of discontinuous reinforced composites

Overview & Synopsis

In discontinuous reinforced composites, different damage processes are observed : reinforcement fracture, interface debonding and matrix failure depending on the type of material and loading. So, local criteria of damage initiation were introduced in a micromechanical model to reproduce these phenomena and predict the material behavior. The model is based on the stiffness prediction by the Mori and Tanaka approach. Tensile stress-strain curves until total failure are simulated in the case of SMC type composite. The evolution with damage of all the elastic constants is also compared with ultrasonic measurements. In an A1/SiCp composite, damage was identified to be particle fracture. Tensile behaviors with or without damage are compared. Three solutions to replace the broken particles are studied.