Voids effect on micromechanical response of elastoplastic fiber-reinforced polymer composites using 1D higher-order theories

This work investigates the effect of voids within the matrix of composite materials. Effects on local stress and plastic strain values are evaluated by conducting a micromechanical analysis. The microscale Representative Volume Element (RVE) is modeled through refined 1D elements based on the Carrera Unified Formulation (CUF). Using 1D models for the RVE leads to a significant reduction in computational costs compared to standard 3D elements. Fibers are modeled as orthotropic, and the matrix has an elastoplastic behavior. Random distributions of voids are considered, and statistical analyses are carried out. Furthermore, the influence of the depth of the RVE is investigated. The results show significant mean and peak stress values increases as the void volume fraction grows. Also, the use of deeper RVE leads to higher stress values.