Elastic Deformation of Dispersely Failing Unidirectionally Reinforced Composites

A phenomenological model is proposed for describing the elastic deformation of a unidirectionally reinforced composite capable of accumulating scattered microdamages during its loading. The composite is considered as a homogeneous transversely isotropic solid. Its damaged state at every point is characterized by a centrally symmetric scalar function on the unit sphere (the damage function), which is used to account for variations in the elastic properties of the material during its deformation. The damage itself depends on the history of some equivalent strain, for which four simplified variants are suggested. The relation between strains and stresses is defined in a differential form. Dependences are presented for determining all unknown constants from simple mechanical experiments. As an example, an actual unidirectionally reinforced GFRP is considered, for which the main two-dimensional sections of corresponding failure surfaces are also constructed.     

Application of the method of conditional moments to investigating the deformation properties of orthotropic composites with fiber microdamages

A model of deformation of stochastic composites subjected to microdamage is developed for the case of orthotropic materials with microdamages accumulating in the fibers. The composite is treated as a matrix strengthened with elliptic fibers with orthotropic elastic properties. The fractured microvolumes are modeled by a system of randomly distributed quasi-spherical pores. The porosity balance equation and relations for determining the effective elastic moduli for the case of a fibrous composite with orthotropic components are used as the fundamental relations. The fracture criterion is given as a limit value of the intensity of average shear stresses occurring in the undamaged part of the material, which is assumed to be a random function of coordinates and is described by the Weibull distribution. Based on an analytical and numerical approach, the algorithm for determining the nonlinear deformation properties of such a material is constructed. The nonlinearity of composite deformations is caused by the accumulation of microdamages in the fibers. By using a numerical solution, the nonlinear stress–strain diagrams for an orthotropic composite in uniaxial tension are obtained. Translated from Mekhanika Kompozitnykh Materialov, Vol. 45, No. 1, pp. 17–30, January–February, 2009.     

Experimental verification of some elastic properties of unidirectional composites

The first part of the paper deals with homogenization models of unidirectional composites, in which each phase of the material is bounded by parallel cylindrical surfaces. For a GFRP with epoxy resin and glass fibres, five elastic constants for six models of the composite are calculated. In the second part, the results of strain gauge tests, photoelasticity investigations, and scanning electron inspection are discussed. With these data, some elastic constants of the composite in tension and compression are found. A comparison of experimental and analytical results is presented. Russian translation published in Mekhanika Kompozitnykh Materialov, Vol. 44, No. 2, pp. 195–206, March–April, 2008.     

Numerical calculation of effective elastic moduli for incompressible porous material

Incompressible elastic material with a periodic system of pores is considered. Processes are studied with a typical length which is much more than the typical diameter of pores and the typical distance between pores. Porous material behaves as a certain “effective” material without pores in such processes. The method of calculation of effective moduli based on mathematical homogenization theory is described. The estimates for the effective moduli are proved. The results of numerical calculations of effective moduli for materials with spherical and cubic pores are presented. The dependence of the effective moduli on the volume fracture of pores is investigated. The explicit formulae for effective coefficients are deduced. Comparison with the effective moduli for compressible materials is performed. Presented at the Ninth International Conference on the Mechanics of Composite Materials, Riga, October, 1995. Lomonosov Moscow State University, Department of Mathematics and Mechanics, Moscow. Published in Mekhanika Kompozitnykh Materialov, No. 5, pp. 579–587, September–October, 1996.     

The limiting state of a multilayer nonlinearly elastic eccentric ring

The limiting state of a multilayer eccentric ring made of a nonlinearly elastic material and subjected to a uniform external pressure is investigated. The topicality and importance of the problem are connected with the search for reserves of savings in materials, with a simultaneous in crease in the load-carrying capacity of structures. Since rings often must have walls of varying thickness, their critical buckling force is determined as a function of a parameter considering this fact. In solving the problem, the geometric nonlinearity is also taken into account. __________ Translated from Mekhanika Kompozitnykh Materialov, Vol. 43, No. 6, pp. 761–770, November–December, 2007.     

Analysis of the dynamic response of 3D-braided rectangular plates on an elastic foundation

A new micromacromechanical model of unit cells is suggested. In this model, a 3D-braided composite plate can be a cell system, and the geometry of each cell strongly depends on its position in the cross section of the plate. Based on the Reddy higher-order shear deformation theory of plates and the general von Karman-type equations, analytical solutions for the dynamic response of simply supported 3D-braided rectangular plates resting on a two-parameter (Pasternak-type) elastic foundation and subjected to transverse dynamic loads are found by using the perturbation method. The numerical illustrations concern the effects of geometric parameters, fiber volume fraction, braiding angle, and foundation stiffness. Russian translation published in Mekhanika Kompozitnykh Materialov, Vol. 44, No. 6, pp. 861–880, November–December, 2008.     

Local near-surface buckling of a system consisting of an elastic (viscoelastic) substrate,a viscoelastic (elastic) bond layer,and an elastic (viscoelastic) covering layer

Within the framework of a piecewise homogenous body model and with the use of a three-dimensional linearized theory of stability (TLTS), the local near-surface buckling of a material system consisting of a viscoelastic (elastic) half-plane, an elastic (viscoelastic) bond layer, and a viscoelastic (elastic) covering layer is investigated. A plane-strain state is considered, and it is assumed that the near-surface buckling instability is caused by the evolution of a local initial curving (imperfection) of the elastic layer with time or with an external compressive force at fixed instants of time. The equations of TLTS are obtained from the three-dimensional geometrically nonlinear equations of the theory of viscoelasticity by using the boundary-form perturbation technique. A method for solving the problems considered by employing the Laplace and Fourier transformations is developed. It is supposed that the aforementioned elastic layer has an insignificant initial local imperfection, and the stability is lost if this imperfection starts to grow infinitely. Numerical results on the critical compressive force and the critical time are presented. The influence of rheological parameters of the viscoelastic materials on the critical time is investigated. The viscoelasticity of the materials is described by the Rabotnov fractional-exponential operator. Russian translation published in Mekhanika Kompozitnykh Materialov, Vol. 43, No. 6, pp. 771–788, November–December, 2007.     

Partial three dimensional deformations for the perfectly elastic Mooney material

Summary The governing equations for finite elastic deformations are highly nonlinear and there is still only a limited number of known exact solutions. In general for large elastic fully three dimensional deformations of the isotropic incompressible perfectly elastic neo-Hookean and Mooney materials, a non-trivial deformation for say the neo-Hookean strain-energy function, is frequently not well-defined for the general Mooney strain-energy function because the additional coupling imposes extra constraints on the deformation which are generally inconsistent with one another. Here we note two fully three dimensional deformations for which this is not the case. In both cases the resulting coupled systems of ordinary differential equations need to be integrated numerically but the deformations are nevertheless well-defined for the general Mooney material. The first deformation is simply noted because the details are given elsewhere. For the second deformation, the coupled system is derived and some new simple special solutions are given. Such deformations are important and noteworthy because of the scarcity of exact solutions in finite elasticity.     

Deformation of a composite plate on an elastic foundation by local loads

Bending of an elastic annular composite plate with a light filler lying on an elastic foundation is considered. The plate is subjected to local loads. To describe the kinematics of the package, asymmetric across its thickness, the hypotheses of broken normal is accepted. The reaction of foundation is described based on the Winkler model. A system of equilibrium equations is constructed, and its exact solution in displacements is found. Numerical solutions for a metal-polymer sandwich plate are presented. __________ Translated from Mekhanika Kompozitnykh Materialov, Vol. 43, No. 1, pp. 109–120, January–February, 2007.     

Damageability of a material reinforced with unidirectional orthotropic fibers for an exponential function of long-term microstrength

The theory of long-term damageability of a homogeneous material is generalized to the case of an orthotropic fibrous composite material with a stochastic structure. Equations of mechanics of microinhomogeneous media of this structure form the base of the theory. The process of damage of components of a composite is modeled by the formation of stochastically located micropores. The criterion of fracture of a unit microvolume is characterized by its long-term strength determined by the dependence of the time of brittle fracture on the degree of closeness of the equivalent stress to its limit value, which characterizes the short-term strength on the basis of the Huber–von Mises criterion accepted as an arbitrary function of coordinates. Efficient deformation properties and the stress-strain state of an orthotropic fibrous composite with microdamages in components are determined on the base of stochastic equations of elasticity of orthotropic media. For given macrostresses and macrostrains and an arbitrary moment of time, balance equations of damage (porosity) of components are formulated. On the basis of the iteration method, we construct algorithms for calculating dependences of microdamage of components of an orthotropic fibrous material on time and dependences of macrostresses or macrostrains on time and obtain the corresponding curves for the case of a bounded function of the long-term microstrength, which is approximated by an exponential law.     

Investigation of the prefracture zone at the tip of a mode I crack reaching a nonsmooth interface of an elastic media

We perform calculation of the initial prefracture zone at the tip of a mode I crack that reaches a nonsmooth interface of two dissimilar elastic media at its corner point by the Wiener–Hopf method. The zone is modeled by a line of normal displacement fracture on a crack continuation. Expressions for the length of the prefracture zone and the potential energy accumulated in it are obtained. Their numerical values are compared with the corresponding values for the prefracture zone in a bonding material on the interface of the media, on the basis of which we draw a conclusion on the possible direction of development of the zone.     

Deformation of composites with arbitrarily oriented orthotropic fibers under matrix microdamages

In the present work, a model of nonlinear deformation of stochastic composites under microdamaging is developed for the case of a composite with orthotropic inclusions, when microdefects are accumulated in the matrix. The composite is treated as an isotropic matrix strengthened by triaxial arbitrarily oriented ellipsoidal inclusions with orthotropic symmetry of the elastic properties. It is assumed that the process of loading leads to accumulation of damage in the matrix. Fractured microvolumes are modeled by a system of randomly distributed quasispherical pores. The porosity balance equation and relations for determining the effective elastic modules in the case of orthotropic components are taken as basic relations. The fracture criterion is specified as the limiting value of the intensity of average shear stresses acting in the intact part of the material. On the basis of the analytic and numerical approach, we propose an algorithm for the determination of nonlinear deformation properties of the investigated material. The nonlinearity of composite deformations is caused by the finiteness of deformations. By using the numerical solution, the nonlinear stress–strain diagrams are predicted and discussed for an orthotropic composite material for various cases of orientation of inclusions in the matrix.     

Anisotropic stress-softening model for compressible solids

A general constitutive theory for anisotropic stress softening in compressible solids is presented. The constitutive equation describes anisotropic strain induced behaviour of an initially “isotropic” virgin material. Parameters which characterise damage are proposed together with a concept of damage function. In order to develop an anisotropic stress-softening theory for compressible materials in close parallel to a recent incompressible anisotropic theory, the right stretch tensor is decomposed into its isochoric and dilatational parts. The ’free’ energy is expressed as a function of the dilatation, modified principal stretches, a volume change parameter and invariants of the dyadic products of the principal directions of the right stretch tensor and two structural tensors. A class of free energy functions is discussed and a special form of this class which satisfies the Clausius–Duhem inequality is proposed. Results of the theory applied to uniaxial tension, bulk compression and simple shear deformations are given. A sequence of deformations involving shear, hydrostatic-compression and hydrostatic-tension deformations is also investigated. In the case of hydrostatic-tension deformation, the stress softening is due to cavitation damage. The theoretical results obtained are consistent with expected behaviour and compare well with experimental data.     

Pressure of an elastic half space on a rigid base with rectangular hole in the case of a liquid bridge between them

A model of contact between an elastic half space and a rigid base with a shallow surface rectangular hole is proposed. The hole contains an incompressible liquid and gas. The liquid occupies the middle part of the hole and forms a capillary bridge between the opposite surfaces. The remaining volume of the hole is filled with gas under a constant pressure. The liquid completely wets the surfaces of the bodies. The pressure drop at the liquid–gas interface caused by the surface tension is defined by the Laplace formula. The corresponding plane contact problem for the elastic half space is essentially nonlinear because the pressure of the liquid and the length of the capillary in the contact-boundary conditions are not known in advance and depend on the external load. The problem is reduced to a system of three equations (a singular integral equation for the function of height of the hole and two transcendental equations for the length of the capillary and the height of the meniscus). An analytic-numerical procedure for the solution of these equations is proposed. Dependences of the length of the capillary and the pressure drop at the liquid–gas interface on the external load, volume of liquid, and its surface tension are analyzed. Translated from Matematychni Metody ta Fizyko-Mekhanichni Polya, Vol. 51, No. 1, pp. 150–156, January–March, 2008.     

The limiting state of a rigidly fixed nonlinearly elastic multilayer rod

The loss of the load-carrying capacity of a nonlinearly elastic multilayer rod is investigated. The rod, whose layers have various thickness and are made of different materials, is rigidly fixed at both its ends. Rigid contact conditions between the layers are assumed. The problem posed is solved by using the variational method of mixed type in combination with the Rayleigh-Ritz method. The initial analysis is reduced to the solution of the Cauchy problem for a nonlinear ordinary differential equation solved for the first derivative. As the initial condition, the maximum initial eccentricity of the rod is assumed. In the case of zero eccentricity, the Shanley critical force for an axially compressed rod is determined. For a three-layer rod whose outer layers have equal thickness and are made of the same material, numerically, for various degrees of nonlinearity, the effect of physicomechanical and geometric parameters on the critical load of buckling instability is determined. It is found that, by matching the heterogeneity of the rod, it is possible to raise its load-carrying capacity. __________ Translated from Mekhanika Kompozitnykh Materialov, Vol. 42, No. 3, pp. 347–360, May–June, 2006.     

Scattering of a SH-wave by an elastic fiber of nonclassical cross section with an interface crack

The problem of interaction of a plane time-harmonic SH-wave with an elastic fiber of quasi-square or quasi-triangular cross section, when an interface crack is present between an infinite elastic matrix and the fiber, is considered. The modified null-field method taking into account the asymptotic behavior of the solution at crack tips is exploited for obtaining numerical results. The effects of fiber shape, fiber/matrix material combination, debonding (crack size), and direction of wave incidence on the scattering amplitude in the far zone are analyzed. Russian translation published in Mekhanika Kompozitnykh Materialov, Vol. 44, No. 2, pp. 245–254, March–April, 2008.     

On the dispersion of nonstationary surface waves in anisotropic elastic media

The whispering gallery modes propagating along the surface of an anisotropic elastic body are investigated with the use of space-time caustic expansions and space-time ray series. Each surface mode modulated in amplitude and frequency, is interpreted as a wave packet, with its amplitude’s maximum moving at a group velocity. On the boundary surface, asymptotic expressions for the group velocity (as a function of time and coordinates) are derived, which are in agreement with analogous formulas for Rayleigh waves of SV type in the isotropic case. Bibliography: 6 titles. __________ Translated from Zapiski Nauchnykh Seminarov POMI, Vol. 332, 2006, pp. 299–312.     

Structure of nonlinear elastic relationships for the highly anisotropic layer of a nonthin shell

Laminated nonthin shells made of nonlinearly elastic fiber composites are considered. The composite material is assumed to be transversely isotropic in planes perpendicular to reinforcement. The asymptotic method and the condition of material stability are applied to analyze the structure of constitutive relations. To introduce a small parameter, the high stiffness in the reinforcement direction of the fiber composite is used. This allows us to obtain simplified constitutive relations containing functions with one or two arguments instead of five as in the initial general case. Kazan State Architectural Building Academy, Tatarstan, Russia. Translated from Mekhanika Kompozitnykh Materialov, Vol. 35, No. 5, pp. 615–628, September–October, 1999.     

Deformation of dispersely failing unidirectional composites

An anisotropic medium is considered in which, upon loading, scattered microdamages accumulate giving rise to nonlinear and residual strains. The damage at a point of the medium is characterized by a scalar function on a unit sphere, referred to as the damage function. This function is approximated by a fourth-rank tensor used for specifying the relation between the increments of strains and stresses. The calculation dependences are presented in detail for a unidirectional composite, which is taken to be a homogeneous transversely isotropic medium. Determination of the unknown constants is illustrated by the example of an actual fiberglass plastic. Institute of Polymer Mechanics, University of Latvia, Riga, LV-1006, Latvia. Translated from Mekhanika Kompozitnykh Materialov, Vol. 35, No. 5, pp. 561–574, September–October, 1999.     

Structural elastic and creep models of a UD composite in longitudinal shear

The transient creep of a UD composite with a quadratic arrangement of elastic fibers of quadratic cross section is investigated. The deformational properties of the composite are determined from the known properties of its constituents. A structural model of the UD composite is developed, whose minimal elementary cell contains four elements. The stress-strain state of the elements is assumed homogeneous. Two types of basic and resolving governing equations of transient creep are deduced, which are based on static or kinematic assumptions. In each of the cases, a formula for the longitudinal elastic shear modulus of the composite is found. The stationary solutions of creep equations allow one to obtain formulas of the steady-state creep of the composite in a form similar to Norton’s law. Numerical calculations are also performed, and a comparison of the results with data given in the literature bears witness to the efficiency of the models developed and the solutions obtained. __________ Translated from Mekhanika Kompozitnykh Materialov, Vol. 43, No. 4, pp. 437–448, July–August, 2007.