Influence of physically nonlinear deformation on short-term microdamage of a fibrous material

The structural theory of short-term damage is generalized to the case where the undamaged isotropic matrix of a fibrous composite with transversely isotropic fibers deforms nonlinearly, with microdamages occurring only in the matrix. The basis for this generalization is the stochastic elasticity equations for a fibrous composite with porous matrix whose skeleton deforms nonlinearly. Microvolumes of the matrix meet the Huber-Mises failure criterion. The damaged microvolume balance equation is derived for the physically nonlinear material of the matrix based on the properties of the ultimate microstrength distribution. Together with the equations relating macrostresses and macrostrains of the fibrous composite with porous nonlinear matrix, they constitute a closed-form system. This system describes the coupled processes of physically nonlinear deformation and microdamage. Algorithms for calculating the dependences of macrostresses and microdamages on macrostrains are proposed. Uniaxial tension curves are plotted for a fibrous composite with linearly hardening matrix.Translated from Prikladnaya Mekhanika, Vol. 40, No. 10, pp. 88–97, October 2004.