Continuum damage modeling of unidirectional 3D-printed composites under longitudinal tension

Abstract

This work presents a two-scale modeling approach for simulating the progressive damage behavior of unidirectional 3D-printed composites reinforced with continuous fibers. The approach utilizes a semi-analytical method, combining analytical homogenization at the micro-scale and finite element modeling at the macro-scale. At the micro-scale, the analytical model incorporates weakest link theory and Weibull statistics to account for fiber damage. At the macro-scale, a novel method based on continuum damage mechanics (CDM) is developed to consider damage evolution. The two-scale modeling approach is compared to experimental results of tensile and open-hole tests of 3D-printed composites reinforced with continuous carbon fibers. The comparison demonstrates that the two-scale modeling approach captures well the complex mechanical behavior of unidirectional 3D-printed composites.