Computational micromechanics of time- and cycle-dependent failure in unidirectional composites under off-axis loading

Abstract

Structuresmade of fiber-reinforced polymer (FRP) composites are usually considered lightweight. On account of this feature, polymeric composites find their application in many engineering disciplines, where the expected service lifetimemay extend to decades. The advent of thermoplastics has brought about cost-effective processing and the possibility to recycle structural components, among other features. However, the viscous nature of the polymer matrix poses a challenge to the straightforward application of FRP composites in load-bearing situations: the material response is a function of time and temperature. In addition, structural components may be subjected to long-term cyclic loading, that may lead to failure irrespective of the viscous nature of the material constituents. Hence, for an optimal application of (thermoplastic) FRP composites in load-bearing situations, it is necessary to understand, and eventually to predict their long-termperformance....