Rate-dependent viscoplastic modeling and experimental validation of woven glass/epoxy composite materials

Abstract The rate-dependent behavior of woven fabric (WF) composite with material nonlinearity and 3D geometrical nonuniformity are predicted using a proposed micro-meso-scale (MMS) model. The viscoelastic fiber and viscoplastic matrix are combined to obtain the properties of viscoplastic composite tows. Applying geometrical properties of WF and considering different local position and orientation of tows, the orthotropic viscoplastic behavior of WF composite is obtained. A progressive damage model is developed to consider damage modes in the composite tows. The stresses are redistributed over the intact regions according to the occurrence of the specific damage modes. Experimental rate-dependent tests are carried out on the epoxy matrix and unidirectional composite to measure the model constants. The rate dependency of the mechanical properties and nonlinearity of the stress-strain curves of the WF composite are then predicted and compared to additional experimental tests on the WF composite.