Abstract
A thermomicromechanical model of failure characterizing high energy impact is presented based on thermodynamic principles, i.e. using the balancing laws; the conservation of momentum and the first and second laws of thermodynamics. The micromechanical damage considered in the model are the tensile damage, the shear damage, and inter-phase discontinuity between the matrix and fiber of the composite. A homogenization technique is incorporated in the development to simplify the representation of the non-homogeneous material and to allow for the inclusion of a thermomicromechanical phenomenon in a composite lamina. The inelastic response is modeled using elastic-plastic constitutive relations. A summary of the equations for the thermomicromechanical model of failure is shown and a damage parameter D that characterizes the damage in the lamina based on energy dissipation is introduced. In order to demonstrate the model, the evolution of damage as a function of time is analyzed for a uniaxially loaded two-phase bar using various types of composites.