Steady-state creep of fiber-reinforced composites: Constitutive equations and computational issues (Q675548)

The general form of the constitutive equations that describe steady-state creep of fiber-reinforced metal-matrix composites with transversely isotropic overall symmetry is developed together with a method for the numerical integration of the constitutive equations. The ``linearization moduli'' associated with the integration algorithm are computed, and the constitutive model is implemented in a general purpose finite element program. A number of ``unit cell'' problems with periodic boundary conditions, consistent with the requirements of homogenization theory, are solved, and the results are compared with predictions of analytical models.