Testing and modeling high strain rate behavior of polymeric composites

The present study was aimed at modeling the high strain rate response of the unidirectional S2Glass/8553-40 polymeric composite material system. High strain rate experiments were conducted on a split Hopkinson pressure bar (SHPB), on balanced symmetric laminates from which the stress, strain and strain rate histories within the laminates were recovered. Strain rates of the order of 1000/s were achieved in the specimen. A 3-D viscoplasticity model was used to describe the high strain rate response of the composite. A computer code was written to incorporate the constitutive equations into the finite element code ABAQUS, which was subsequently used to analyze the dynamic response of the composite specimen in the high strain rate SHPB experiment. Comparison of the analysis result with experimental data indicates that the viscoplasticity model determined using low strain rate testing can still be valid for modeling the high strain rate responses. (C) 1998 Published by Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.