Anisotropic (Continuum Damage Mechanics)-based multi-mechanism model for semi-crystalline polymer

In this work, the anisotropic damage of semi-crystalline polymers is investigated. The model, developed within a thermodynamic framework, includes the following features: (i) the degree of crystallinity; (ii) the hydrostatic pressure effect; and (iii) the damage anisotropy. The adopted tensorial damage variable is based on the Continuum Damage Mechanics approach under the energy equivalence assumption. For the quantification of the anisotropy, a parameter called “shape factor” is defined as the ratio between the void mean diameter and the void mean height. This parameter is linked to the main axial and the main radial damage components. Experimental data taken from the recent literature using the tomography technique were selected to assess the model capability. Finite element simulations of notched round bar specimens subjected to tensile test stopped at three key loading stages are systematically compared with experimental data. The proposed model was able not only to accurately simulate the macroscopic response of the material, but more interestingly, to reproduce the spatial distribution of the shape factor. This demonstrates the anisotropy effects of the material under study induced at different stages of the deformation.