A multiscale modeling for progressive failure behavior of unidirectional fiber-reinforced composites based on phase-field method

• Published in: Engineering fracture mechanics Vol. 310; p. 110517
• Main Authors: Lu, Yucheng, Feng, Ye, Huang, Wei, Su, Zhoucheng, Ma, Yu E, Wang, Shengnan
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Elsevier Ltd 08.11.2024
• Subjects: Cohesive law; Multiscale modeling; Phase-field method; Representative volume element; Unidirectional fiber-reinforced composites; Representative volume element; Unidirectional fiber-reinforced composites; Phase-field method; Multiscale modeling; Cohesive law
• ISSN: 0013-7944
• DOI: 10.1016/j.engfracmech.2024.110517

•An RVE model combined with the phase-field method is proposed to study the mechanical responses of the composites at the microscale.•The cracking patterns and failure envelope of the composites under different multiaxial proportional loadings are investigated.•A multiscale modeling framework based on the phase-field model is proposed to predict the failure behavior of the composites at the macroscale.•A tenth-order polynomial cohesive law is combined with the phase-field model to address complex failure processes.•The proposed multiscale modeling can efficiently and accurately capture the macroscopic progressive failure process. The effective macroscopic properties of composites are determined by the intricate interactions among the individual components within their microstructure. Preserving these microscopic details during the failure simulation of macrostructures presents significant challenges. This work proposes a multiscale modeling framework to numerically predict the macroscopic fracture properties of unidirectional fiber-reinforced composites based on micromechanical analysis. In this study, 2D representative volume elements (RVEs) combined with the phase-field method are utilized to simulate fiber-reinforced composites under transverse loadings. A series of representative loading conditions are employed to investigate cracking patterns and to construct failure strength envelopes of the composites subjected to different multiaxial proportional loadings. By extracting the softening curve from the uniaxial tensile simulation of the RVE and fitting it with a tenth-order polynomial, the homogenized cohesive law, combined with the phase-field method, is applied to the damage analysis of macroscopic heterogeneous materials. The homogenized model of unidirectional fiber reinforced composites is numerically validated through simulations of a 2D flat plate. The simulation results demonstrate the excellent potential of the proposed multiscale modeling framework to accurately and efficiently predict the progressive failure and fracture behavior of fiber-reinforced composites in engineering applications.