A Plastic Potential Function Suitable for Anisotropic Fiber Composites

Abstract

A 3-D plastic potential function was proposed to describe nonlinear be havior in anisotropic fiber composites following classical plasticity theory. The assump tion that uniform dilatational strains do not contribute to plastic deformation was used. Further simplification was obtained by ignoring the plastic deformation along the fiber direction which is an acceptable assumption for most advanced fiber composites. The va lidity of this plastic potential was examined by employing finite element micromechanical analysis.