A Phase-Field Approach to Model Ductile Quasi-Static and Fatigue Fracture in Short Fiber Reinforced Polymer Composites
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Fracture events pose a significant obstacle to the widespread use of short fiber reinforced polymer (SFRP) composites in diverse engineering applications, especially in lightweight structures [1]. This contribution introduces a phase-field approach to model ductile fracture events in SFRP composites under both quasi-static and fatigue loading conditions. Specifically, we employ an invariant-based anisotropic elasto-plastic material model to describe the macroscopic behavior of SFRP composites, incorporating pressure-dependent characteristics. Non-associative plastic evolution is introduced herein to capture realistic plastic deformations [2]. This material model is then consistently integrated with the phase-field approach for modeling ductile fracture. To account for fatigue effects, the free-energy function is modified based on thermodynamic considerations, introducing a degradation of the material's fracture toughness [3,4]. The theoretical formulation, corresponding algorithmic treatment, and numerical implementation are presented. The modeling approach's performance is assessed through a series of numerical simulations, demonstrating its applicability and robustness.
