Deformation of a fibrous composite with physically nonlinear fibers and microdamageable matrix

The structural theory of short-term microdamage is generalized to a fibrous composite with a microdamageable matrix and physically nonlinear fibers. The basis for the generalization is the stochastic elasticity equations of a fibrous composite with a porous matrix. Microvolumes in the matrix material meet the Huber-Mises failure criterion. The damaged-microvolume balance equation for the matrix is derived. This equation and the equations relating macrostresses and macrostrains of a fibrous composite with porous matrix and physically nonlinear fibers constitute a closed-form system of equations. This system describes the coupled processes of physically nonlinear deformation and microdamage occurring in different components of the composite. Algorithms for computing the microdamage-macrostrain and macrostress-macrostrain relationships are developed. Uniaxial tension curves are plotted for a fibrous composite with linearly hardening fibers __________ Translated from Prikladnaya Mekhanika, Vol. 42, No. 1, pp. 38–47, January 2006.