A mechanism-based multi-scale model for predicting thermo-oxidative degradation in high temperature polymer matrix composites

Abstract This paper describes a mechanism-based multi-scale model for life prediction of high temperature polymer matrix composites (HTPMC) under thermo-oxidative aging conditions. The multi-scale model incorporates molecular level damage such as inter-crosslink chain scission in a thermoset polymer due to thermo-oxidative aging of the polymer resin. The degradation of inter-laminar stress depends on remaining inter-crosslink density of thermo-set polymer in fiber/matrix interface region subjected to thermo-oxidative aging environment. The degradation of inter-laminar shear stress of thermo-oxidatively aged unidirectional IM-7/PETI-5 composite specimens at 300 °C was modeled using an in-house test-bed FEA code (NOVA-3D). A micromechanics based viscoelastic cohesive layer model was used to model delamination. The model is fully rate dependent and does not require a pre-assigned traction-separation law. Viscoelastic regularization of the constitutive equations of the cohesive layer used in this model not only mitigates numerical instability, but also enables the analysis to follow load–deflection behavior beyond peak failure load. The model was able to successfully simulate delamination failure in thermo-oxidatively aged unidirectional IM-7/PETI-5 composite, and the model predictions were verified using test data.