A COMPUTATIONAL APPROACH TO MODEL CRACK

NUCLEATION AND OVERALL BEHAVIOR OF BRITTLE

FIBROUS COMPOSITES

Haeng-Ki Lee¹ and Dong Ku Shin²

ABSTRACT

A computational approach based on a continuum damage model is presented to predict the

overall behavior and crack nucleation of brittle fibrous composites. The continuum damage model

consists of continuum-mechanics based constitutive equations, micromechanics based differential

scheme for estimating the overall properties, and rate equations for the crack nucleation. The

continuum damage model is implemented into the finite element code ABAQUS to solve

boundary value problems of the composites. The stiffness degradation due to the crack

nucleation and comparisons of overall properties of the composites between the present

predictions and experiments are systematically addressed to assess the validity of the proposed

approach.

1 Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Korea Advanced Institute of Science and

Technology, 373-1 Guseong-dong, Yuseong-gu, Daejon 305-701, South Korea

2 Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Myongji University, Yongin 449-728, Korea