MODELLING THE MICROSCALE RESPONSE OF UNIDIRECTIONAL CARBON FIBER REINFORCED PVDF

In this study, we develop a numerical model of unidirectional carbon fiber reinforced PVDF based on experimental data. The microscale behaviour of the composite is described using a plane strain finite element model of a carbon fiber embedded in a PVDF matrix, connected by a cohesive zone interface. The intrinsic behaviour of the PVDF matrix is modelled using an elastoviscoplastic constitutive model which is able to represent the rate-dependent behaviour of PVDF. Numerical simulations of uniaxial tensile tests of the composite show the interaction between the rate-dependent response of PVDF and the cohesive zone interface response. The microscale failure mechanisms are governed by the competing mechanisms of the matrix model and the cohesive interface model at the fiber/matrix interface.