Abstract:
Due to the anisotropy and heterogeneity of fiber-reinforced composite materials, the
growth of damage in the composite materials is a complicated process. In contrast
to metallic materials, damage to fiber-reinforced composites under static or cyclic
loading situations [1] with very large amplitudes is dispersed rather than confined
[2]. The damage-accumulation process, which is associated with the beginning and
progression of a damage, frequently causes composite materials to lose some of
their elastic properties, known as stiffness degradation. In reality, the change in
stiffness during the fatigue life of a fibre composite material caused by change in
residual strength is normally lesser than the degradation [3]. Additionally, since the
development of microdefects always occurs before the formation of macrocracks, the
spread of a single macrocrack in the structure does not always cause for the failure
in a composite [4]. Various microdamage mechanisms begun based on the level of
anisotropy, inhomogeneity, and the loading conditions used. They can manifest and
grow individually or in combination, resulting in a range of situations for the failure
of composite materials or for the degradation of their properties [5].Additionally, the
causes of failure of composite materials and degradation of properties are dependent on the scaling factors of the composite structure. As a result, multiscale modelling
of the damage accumulation process in relation to the deterioration of the property
is required [6, 7].
