Abstract
The implementation of an enhanced modelling approach for fibre-reinforced composites is presented which may, in addition to the directional dependency induced by the fibres, allow the capturing of the fibre-bending stiffness. The theoretical framework is based on the introduction of higher-order gradients of the motion function as additional arguments of the energy function such that size effects can be taken into account. However, the application of higher-order gradients within a finite element framework requires particular care with respect to continuity requirements. In this contribution the usage of a mixed-type multi-field finite element formulation and the fulfilment of the continuity requirement only in a weak sense is proposed. Based on a particular specification of the energy function representative boundary value problems are discussed to assess the model's properties. It is then shown that a model which is based on one additional invariant compared to the classic structural tensor approach allows, in principle, to incorporate effects which are due to the fibre-bending stiffness.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 1037-1067 |
| Number of pages | 31 |
| Journal | Computer Methods in Applied Mechanics and Engineering |
| Volume | 317 |
| DOIs | |
| Publication status | Published - 2017 Apr 15 |
Subject classification (UKÄ)
- Composite Science and Engineering
Free keywords
- Fibre-bending stiffness
- Fibre-reinforced composites
- Generalised continuum
- Multi-field finite element approach
- Size effect