Finite Element Simulation of Deformation of Fiber-Reinforced Materials in the Plastic Range : Model Proposition and Tensile Behaviors

A simple FEM model of fibers used to reinforce materials is proposed which is very effective at saving computational time. By making use of this model, deformation behaviors of fiber-reinforced materials subjected to tension are investigated especially in the large plastic strain range, in which four kinds of typical regular arrangement of fibers and one random arrangement are adopted. The reinforcing effect of fibers is not found necessarily to be parallel to the stabilizing effect of plastic flow, according to various conditions such as fiber-arrangement, the volume fraction of fibers and boundary conditions. Attention is thus mainly directed to the unstable aspect of plastic deformation, yielding recommendations for fiber-arrangements with respect to the soundness of the plastic behavior of fiber-reinforced materials.