A variational method for unidirectional fiber-reinforced composites with matrix creep

A variational method is developed for analyzing the matrix creep induced time-dependent change in fiber stress profiles in unidirectional composites. A functional of admissible profiles of fiber stress rate is presented by supposing a fiber broken in matrix as well as a fiber pulled out from matrix. The functional is shown to have the stationary function satisfying an incremental differential equation based on the shear lag assumption. Then, the stationary function is approximately determined by assuming bilinear profiles of fiber stress and a power law of matrix creep, leading to analytical solutions for the time-dependent change in fiber stress profiles. The solutions are verified on the basis of an energy balance equation and a finite difference computation. Moreover, it is shown that the solution for the fiber pull-out model agrees well with an experiment on a single carbon fiber/acrylic model composite if the initial slip at fiber/matrix interface is taken into account. In addition, the solution for the fiber breakage model is used for evaluating the characteristic time in long-term creep rupture of unidirectional composite.     

On the effect of fiber creep-compliance in the high-temperature deformation of continuous fiber-reinforced ceramic matrix composites

Creep models for unidirectional ceramic matrix composites reinforced by long creeping fibers with weak interfaces are presented. These models extend the work of Du and McMeeking (1995) [Du, Z., McMeeking, R. 1995. Creep models for metal matrix composites with long brittle fibers. J. Mech. Phys. Solids 43, 701–726] to include the effect of fiber primary creep present in the required operational temperatures for ceramic matrix composites (CMCs). The effects of fiber breaks and the consequential stress relaxation around the breaks are incorporated in the models under the assumption of global load sharing and time-independent stochastics for fiber failure. From the set of problems analyzed, it is found that the high-temperature deformation of CMCs is sensitive to the creep-compliance of the fibers. High fiber creep-compliance drives the composite to creep faster, leading however to greater lifetimes and greater overall strains at rupture. This behavior is attributed to the fact that the greater the creep-compliance of the fibers, the higher the creep rate but the slower the matrix stress relaxation – since the matrix must deform with a rate compatible with the more creep-resistant fibers – and therefore the less the load carried by the main load-bearing phase, the fibers. As a result, fewer fibers fail and less damage is accumulated in the system. Moreover, the greater the creep-compliance of the fibers, the slower the matrix shear stress relaxation – and thus the lower the levels of applied stress for which this effect becomes important. The slower the shear stress relaxes, the slower the “slip” length increases. Due to the Weibull nature of the fibers, the fiber strengths at the smaller gauge length of the slip length are stronger; therefore fewer fibers undergo damage. Hence, high fiber creep-compliance is desirable (in the absence of any explicit creep-damage mechanism) in terms of composite lifetime but not in terms of overall strain. These results are considered of importance for composite design and optimization.     

STATISTIC MODELING OF THE CREEP BEHAVIOR OF METAL MATRIX COMPOSITES BASED ON FINITE ELEMENT ANALYSIS

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单向纤维增强复合材料中纤维断裂及其发展

纤维增强复合材料中某根纤维断裂后，断口作为裂纹向何处发展？它可以向纤维和基体的界面发展形成界面脱粘，也可向基体发展，造成基体开展，从而殃及邻近纤维。另外，一根纤维的断裂会在其邻近纤维中造成应力集中。本文采取轴对称边界元法对这些问题进行仔细研究。本文假定纤维在基体中成六角形分布，即每根纤维周围有六根纤维，均匀地分布在以该纤维为中心的圆周上。     

高温环境下纤维复合材料蠕变损伤的细观机理研究

首先利用复合材料纤维断裂单胞模型，编制蠕变损伤子程序，对单胞模型进行蠕变损伤分析。分析了纤维／基体弹性模量比对蠕变变形、蠕变损伤以及应力场的影响。从计算结果发现，蠕变损伤首先在纤维断裂尖端起始，然后沿着一定的角度向基体外围延伸，直至完全损伤，而且纤维／基体模量比对高温环境下的复合材料蠕变损伤产生很大的影响；纤维与基体的模量相差越大，复合材料越容易变形，抵抗蠕变变形的能力就越小，蠕变损伤越严重。经过对不同韧性的基体材料进行研究，发现基体韧性低的复合材料蠕变损伤明显高于高韧性基体复合材料，表明低韧性基体复合材料抵抗蠕变破坏的能力较低。     

纤维增强金属基复合材料整体蠕变性能的细观力学分析

高温下金属基复合材料的蠕变主要由基体蠕变和界面扩散蠕变两部分构成,以往的研究中常常只考虑其中一种蠕变机理,从而导致得到的规律具有较大的局限性．本文提出了一种可预测金属基复合材料整体蠕变性能的细观力学方法,同时考虑了基体蠕变和界面扩散蠕变两种蠕变机理,导出了具有张量形式并满足不可压缩性的界面扩散蠕变应变表达式．采用Mori-Tanaka法和自洽法二者结果的平均以便更准确地计算纤维中的应力,揭示了两种蠕变机理相互影响的竞争关系．研究了恒定双轴荷载下的总体蠕变和固定位移约束下的应力松弛这两种常见蠕变问题,探究了基体蠕变与界面扩散蠕变两种蠕变机理在总蠕变中发挥的作用,考察了不同加载条件和不同纤维体积分数对复合材料整体蠕变行为的影响．     

A homogenization theory for time-dependentnonlinear composites with periodic internal structures

A homogenization theory for time-dependent deformation such as creep andviscoplasticity of nonlinear composites with periodic internal structures is developed. To beginwith, in the macroscopically uniform case, a rate-type macroscopic constitutive relation betweenstress and strain and an evolution equation of microscopic stress are derived by introducing twokinds of Y-periodic functions, which are determined by solving two unit cell problems.Then, the macroscopically nonuniform case is discussed in an incremental form using thetwo-scale asymptotic expansion of field variables. The resulting equations are shown to beeffective for computing incrementally the time-dependent deformation for which the history ofeither macroscopic stress or macroscopic strain is prescribed. As an application of the theory,transverse creep of metal matrix composites reinforced undirectionally with continuous fibers isanalyzed numerically to discuss the effect of fiber arrays on the anisotropy in such creep.     

A new method of representation of fiber creep data tensile creep behavior of some acrylic fibers

Summary Fiber creep data are usually represented as plots of extension versus time at constant stress and temperature. Fiber samples, however, exhibit some degree of variability in structure from filament to filament. Consequently, even when initial applied stresses are nominally equivalent (as determined by measurement of cross-sectional area, and load), the creep of individual fibers can differ significantly, and the creep behavior of a sample can only be characterized statistically.Structural parameters such as orientation, which affect fiber properties greatly, and therefore creep, are not considered in the conventional representation of creep data. Orientation, in turn, is associated with stretch or extension. On this basis, creep, i. e. creep rate, can be expected to depend on extension.In the proposed method for representing creep data, the rate of creep is related to the extension at a constant time and temperature. In these so-called isochronal creep rate curves, the use of stress as an independent variable is omitted, and is replaced by extension. This method of representation discloses common creep characteristics in fibers, which, though taken from the same sample, exhibit widely different creep behavior when treated conventionally. In this way, the creep behavior of the whole sample can be conveniently represented. These plots reveal more detail than the ordinary creep curves, and indicate different creep mechanisms within certain extension regions as well as the stretch-relaxation history of the particular fiber sample. In this paper, the aspects and limitations of these two methods of representation of creep data are discussed, and their relative merits are demonstrated using experimental acrylic fibers.     

Prediction of overall tension behavior of short fiber-reinforced composites

The bridging stress of fibers along the crack surface plays an important role in analyzing the tension behavior of short or long fiber-reinforced composites. This paper uses the inclusion theory to obtain the expression of bridging stress for short fiber reinforced composite (SFRC) . A simplified model with periodically distributed fibers is proposed to estimate the average fiber spacings. The total fracture resistance is calculated as an energy summation including interface debonding energy dissipation, frictional sliding work between fibers and matrix, strain energy increment of fibers and matrix. The bend over point (BOP) stress is calculated by this fracture resistance. The necessary conditions of the fibers and matrix for the multiple cracking in SFRCs are discussed and the expression of ultimate external stress is derived. The critical fiber volume fraction for the strain hardening response is determined by an iteration method. In the meanwhile, the average spacing between two short fibers is proposed by a periodical distribution assumption. The theoretical prediction is compared with experimental data.     

Uncertainties of unidirectional composite strength under tensile loading and variation of environmental condition

A probabilistic strength model is developed for unidirectional composites with fibers in hexagonal arrays. The model assumes that, a central core of broken fibers surrounded by unbroken fibers which are subjected to unidirectional tensile loading. The proposed approach consists in using a modified shear lag model to calculate the ineffective lengths and stress concentrations around fiber breaks. The main feature in the model lies in incorporating the variation of composite properties due to temperature and moisture, in order to predict degradation of fibers and matrix characteristics. The strength degradation is often seen as a result of changes in ineffective lengths at fiber breaks, leading to stress concentrations in intact neighboring fibers. As fiber breaks are intrinsically random, the variability of input data allows us to describe the probabilistic model by using the Monte-Carlo method. The sensitivities of the mechanical response are evaluated regarding the uncertainties in design variables such as Young’s modulus of fibers and matrix, fiber reference strength, shear yield stress, fiber volume fraction and shear parameter defining the shear stress in the inelastic region.     

Modeling of fiber-reinforced cement composites: Discrete representation of fiber pullout

The discrete modeling of individual fibers in cement-based materials provides several advantages, including the ability to simulate the effects of fiber dispersion on pre- and post-cracking composite performance. Recent efforts in this direction have sought a balance between accurate representation of fiber behavior and computational expense. This paper describes a computationally efficient approach to representing individual fibers, and their composite behavior, within lattice models of cement-based materials. Distinguishing features of this semi-discrete approach include: (1) fibers can be positioned freely in the computational domain, irrespective of the background lattice representing the matrix phase; (2) the pre- and post-cracking actions of the fibers are simulated with little computational expense, since the number of system degrees of freedom is independent of fiber count. Simulated pullouts of single fibers are compared with theory and test results for the cases of perfectly-plastic and slip-hardening behavior of the fiber–matrix interface. To achieve objective results with respect to discretization of the matrix, pullout forces are distributed along the embedded lengths of fibers that bridge a developing crack. This is in contrast to models that lump the pullout force at the crack surfaces, which can lead to spurious break-off of matrix particles as the discretization of the matrix is refined. With respect to fracture in multi-fiber composites, the proposed model matches theoretical predictions of post-cracking strength and pullout displacement corresponding to the load-free condition. The work presented herein is a significant step toward the modeling of strain-hardening composites that exhibit multiple cracking.     

Stress relaxation in broken fibers in unidirectional composites: modeling and application to creep rupture analysis

This paper describes a model of stress relaxation in broken fibers in unidirectional metal matrix composites reinforced with long brittle fibers. A cylindrical cell with a broken fiber embedded in a power law creeping matrix is employed, and the broken fiber is assumed to have a bilinear distribution of axial stress. Then, on the basis of energy balance in the cell under constant overall strain, a relaxation equation of interfacial shear stress acting on stress recovery segments is derived in a simple form. The relaxation equation is approximated rationally and integrated to obtain an analytical solution, which is shown to agree fairly well with the numerical analysis of Du and McMeeking. (Du, Z.-Z., McMeeking, R.M., 1995. Creep models for metal matrix composites with long brittle fibres. J. Mech. Phys. Solids 43, 701–726.) Moreover, the relaxation equation is combined with Curtin's model (Curtin, W.A., 1991. Theory of mechanical properties of ceramic-matrix composites. J. Am. Ceram. Soc. 74, 2837–2845.), so that rupture time in long term creep is evaluated analytically and explicitly on the assumption of global load sharing. It is shown that the resulting relation represents well the dependence of creep rupture time on applied stress observed experimentally on a unidirectional metal matrix composite.     

Quasi-static behavior of Mg-alloys with and without short-fiber reinforcement

Magnesium alloys AE42 and AZ91 reinforced with 23 vol.% carbon short fibers (D_f ≈ 7 μm, L_f ≈ 100 μm) were tested under quasi-static loading. The carbon fibers were quasi-isotropically distributed in the horizontal plane (reinforced plane) of the casting. Compression and tensile tests were carried out on both the matrix alloys and the composites at temperatures between 20 °C and 300 °C. Specimens were machined to be loaded either parallel or normal to the reinforced plane. Due to the reinforcement, the compression yield stress of the composite AE42-C increased to a value approximately three-fold greater than the yield strength of the matrix; for composite AZ91-C this parameter was approximately 2.5-fold greater than that of the AZ91 matrix. The improvement in tensile strength was less than that in compression, which could be related to early tensile fracture through decohesion at the matrix–fiber interface, as detected by SEM investigations conducted on failed tensile specimens. Flow curves for the matrix alloys at different temperatures were described by a modified Kocks–Mecking material law. An idealization of a 2-D mesomodel was used for finite-element simulation of the mechanical behavior of the composites. The fibers were first considered as elastic bodies and the behavior of the matrix material was set according to the material law determined from the flow curves for the matrix alloys. Other calculations were carried out by considering elasto-plastic behavior of the fibers for application of a failure initiation technique to simulate the behavior of the composite materials beyond the ultimate stress.     

End-shaped copper fibers in an epoxy matrix—predicted versus actual fracture toughening

End-shaped copper fibers are placed in a brittle thermoset epoxy matrix at 10 vol% and tested in four-point bending to determine the fracture toughness of the composite. Results from four-point bend tests agree well with the theoretical predictions of the fracture toughness increment ‘ΔG’ of a metal fiber/brittle thermoset matrix composite based on single fiber pullout (SFP) tests. This close agreement demonstrates that SFP testing, along with the theoretical model, can be used as an effective end-shape screening tool for ductile fibers before full scale composite testing. The model predicts that the composite’s fracture toughness will be 46% higher with flat end-impacted fibers and 4% lower with rippled fibers compared to straight fibers at a 0° orientation. Four-point bend results show the actual composite’s fracture toughness is 49% higher with flat end-impacted fibers and 5% lower with rippled fibers compared to straight fibers. Further, four-point bend results show that end-shaped copper fibers improve both the flexural strength and modulus of the composite, demonstrating that end-shaped ductile fibers provide a good stress transfer to the fibers by anchoring the fibers into the matrix. Lastly, experimental validation of the model also indicates that at low fiber volume fractions, fiber–fiber interaction has only a minor influence on the fracture toughness for the tested ductile fiber/brittle matrix composite.     

Folding of fiber composites with a hyperelastic matrix

This paper presents an experimental and numerical study of the folding behavior of thin composite materials consisting of carbon fibers embedded in a silicone matrix. The soft matrix allows the fibers to microbuckle without breaking and this acts as a stress relief mechanism during folding, which allows the material to reach very high curvatures. The experiments show a highly non-linear moment vs. curvature relationship, as well as strain softening under cyclic loading. A finite element model has been created to study the micromechanics of the problem. The fibers are modeled as linear-elastic solid elements distributed in a hyperelastic matrix according to a random arrangement based on experimental observations. The simulations obtained from this model capture the detailed micromechanics of the problem and the experimentally observed non-linear response. The proposed model is in good quantitative agreement with the experimental results for the case of lower fiber volume fractions but in the case of higher volume fractions the predicted response is overly stiff.     

Homogenization of long fiber reinforced composites including fiber bending effects

This paper presents a homogenization method, which accounts for intrinsic size effects related to the fiber diameter in long fiber reinforced composite materials with two independent constitutive models for the matrix and fiber materials. A new choice of internal kinematic variables allows to maintain the kinematics of the two material phases independent from the assumed constitutive models, so that stress–deformation relationships, can be expressed in the framework of hyper-elasticity and hyper-elastoplasticity for the fiber and the matrix materials respectively. The bending stiffness of the reinforcing fibers is captured by higher order strain terms, resulting in an accurate representation of the micro-mechanical behavior of the composite. Numerical examples show that the accuracy of the proposed model is very close to a non-homogenized finite-element model with an explicit discretization of the matrix and the fibers.     

The effect of fiber damage on the longitudinal creep of a CFMMC

Fiber failures which may exist in a continuous fiber composite before the composite is loaded or generated while the composite is loaded, introduce an additional strain component not included in existing continuous fiber models. Equations are developed which can be used to calculate the magnitude of this additional strain. A Finite Element Model (FEM), in the form of a Representative Volume Element (RVE), calculates the stress field surrounding a fiber break. Statistical analysis is used to infer the behavior of a large composite sample from the stress analysis of a single break. The creep strain, the time to failure, and time-dependent composite strength can all be calculated by combining the FEM results, the statistical analysis model, and knowledge of the initial average fiber length. Important variables included in the calculation are process-related parameters such as the fiber-matrix interface strength and roughness.     

Influence of fiber’s shape and size on overall elastoplastic property for micropolar composites

A general micromechanical method is developed for a micropolar composite with ellipsoidal fibers, where the matrix material is idealized as a micropolar material model. The method is based on a special micro–macro transition method, and the classical effective moduli for micropolar composites can be determined in an analytical way. The influence of both fiber’s shape and size can be analyzed by the proposed method. The effective moduli, initial yield surface and effective nonlinear stress and strain relation for a micropolar composite reinforced by ellipsoidal fibers are examined, it is found that the prediction on the effective moduli and effective nonlinear stress and strain curves are always higher than those based on classical Cauchy material model, especially for the case where the size of fiber approaches to the characteristic length of matrix material. As expected, when the size of fiber is sufficiently large, the classical results (size-independence) can be recovered.     

Micro–macro analysis of shape memory alloy composites

The aim of the paper is to develop a micro–macro approach for the analysis of the mechanical behavior of composites obtained embedding long fibers of Shape Memory Alloys (SMA) into an elastic matrix. In order to determine the overall constitutive response of the SMA composites, two homogenization techniques are proposed: one is based on the self-consistent method while the other on the analysis of a periodic composite. The overall response of the SMA composites is strongly influenced by the pseudo-elastic and shape memory effects occurring in the SMA material. In particular, it is assumed that the phase transformations in the SMA are governed by the wire temperature and by the average stress tensor acting in the fiber. A possible prestrain of the fibers is taken into account in the model.Numerical applications are developed in order to analyze the thermo-mechanical behavior of the SMA composite. The results obtained by the proposed procedures are compared with the ones determined through a micromechanical analysis of a periodic composite performed using suitable finite elements.Then, in order to study the macromechanical response of structural elements made of SMA composites, a three-dimensional finite element is developed implementing at each Gauss point the overall constitutive laws of the SMA composite obtained by the proposed homogenization procedures. Some numerical applications are developed in order to assess the efficiency of the proposed micro–macro model.     

短纤维增强三元乙丙橡胶横观各向同性黏-超弹性本构模型

短纤维增强三元乙丙橡胶包覆薄膜,是一种应用于固体火箭发动机缠绕包覆装药的新型复合材料.为了描述其在工作过程中受振动、冲击等载荷作用时的力学行为,基于黏弹性理论和纤维增强连续介质力学理论,提出了一种考虑应变率强化效应的横观各向同性黏-超弹本构模型.模型中应变能函数被分解为超弹性应变能和黏性应变能,其中超弹性应变能包括表征各向同性的橡胶基体应变能和表征各向异性的纤维拉伸应变能,黏性应变能采用表征橡胶和纤维黏性响应的宏观唯象模型.选取表征各应变能的函数形式,经过数学变换、替代、叠加,求解确定最终的应力应变形式,明确模型参数获取的具体步骤,将预测结果与实验结果对比分析,准确性较高.研究表明:该模型能有效预测材料在低应变率下纤维方向为0?～45?的非线性率相关力学特性;模型形式易于实现有限元开发,对固体火箭发动机装药结构完整性分析具有参考价值.