Discontinuous constitutive response of brittle matrix fibrous composites (Q1354921)

A bridged-crack model is proposed in order to explain the constitutive flexural response of brittle matrix fibrous composites. This response is often discontinuous owing to the presence of virtual catastrophic branches; i.e. snap-through with load-control, and snap-back with deflection-control. The bridging tractions are assumed as constant plastic forces, whereas the cracks run in an elastic brittle matrix. The bridged-crack model accounts for small-scale microstructural studies of fibre-reinforced materials, or in the case of a rather small number of reinforcements, rivets or patches. The bridged-crack model results approach the results obtained by using the cohesive-crack model of Dugdale type when the density of the bridging elements tends to infinity.