An inelastic damage model for fiber reinforced laminates

A new modelfor damage behavior of polymer matrix composite laminates is presented. The model is developed for an individual lamina, and then assembled to describe the nonlinear behavior of the laminate. The model predicts the inelastic effects as reduction of stiffness and increments of damage and unrecoverable deformation. The modelis defined using Continuous Damage Mechanics coupled with Classical Thermodynamic Theory. Unrecoverable deformations and Damage are coupled by the concept of effective stress. New expressions of damage and unrecoverable deformation domains are presented so that the number of model parameters is small. Furthermore, model parameters are obtained from existing test data for unidirectional laminae, supplemented by cyclic shear stress–strain data. Comparison with lamina and laminate test data are presented to demonstrate the ability of the model to predict the observed behavior.