A large strain hyperelastic viscoelastic-viscoplastic-damage constitutive model based on a multi-mechanism non-local damage continuum for amorphous glassy polymers

Abstract

• A large strain viscoelastic-viscoplastic-damage constitutive model is developed. • The model deals with the compression-tension asymmetry in both yielding and failure. • Multi-mechanism non-local damage continuum avoids the loss of solution uniqueness. • The multi-stage rate-dependent response of amorphous glassy polymers is captured. • The model is characterized and validated for highly cross-linked RTM6 epoxy resin. A large strain hyperelastic phenomenological constitutive model is proposed to model the highly nonlinear, rate-dependent mechanical behavior of amorphous glassy polymers under isothermal conditions. A co-rotational formulation is used through the total Lagrange formalism. At small strains, the viscoelastic behavior is captured using the generalized Maxwell model. At large strains beyond a viscoelastic limit characterized by a pressure-sensitive yield function, which is extended from the Drucker-Prager one, a viscoplastic region follows. The viscoplastic flow is governed by a non-associated Perzyna-type flow rule incorporating this pressure-sensitive yield function and a quadratic flow potential in order to capture the volumetric deformation during the plastic process. The stress reduction phenomena arising from the post-peak plateau and during the failure stage are considered in the context of a continuum damage mechanics approach. The post-peak softening is modeled by an internal scalar, so-called softening variable, whose evolution is governed by a saturation law. When the softening variable is saturated, the rehardening stage is naturally obtained since the isotropic and kinematic hardening phenomena are still developing. Beyond the onset of failure characterized by a pressure-sensitive failure criterion, the damage process leading to the total failure is controlled by a second internal scalar, so-called failure variable. The final failure occurs when the failure variable reaches its critical value. To avoid the loss of solution uniqueness when dealing with the continuum damage mechanics formalism, a non-local implicit gradient formulation is used for both the softening and failure variables, leading to a multi-mechanism non-local damage continuum. The pressure sensitivity considered in both the yield and failure conditions allows for the distinction under compression and tension loading conditions. It is shown through experimental comparisons that the proposed constitutive model has the ability to capture the complex behavior of amorphous glassy polymers, including their failure.