A fully implicit mean-field damage formulation with consistent linearization at large deformations

Carbon fiber-reinforced plastics (CFRPs) have become increasingly significant in recent decades due to their remarkable mechanical properties and lightweight nature. This study aims to advance the understanding and simulation of CFRP behavior through the development of a hyperelastic-plastic-damage homogenization method combined with mean-field theory. The material responses of both the fiber and matrix are modeled using strain energy functions that account for damage evolution, while a complete linearization of the homogenization process is derived to ensure the consistent implementation of the Newton–Raphson iteration scheme in large deformation simulations. The innovative aspect of this work lies in the constitutive linearization for the hyperelastic-plastic-damage formulation within a mean-field homogenization framework, providing an efficient Newton algorithm for modeling the nonlinear behavior of CFRP. A failure criterion for the hyperelastic model of fibers is introduced, along with a damage saturation variable in rate form for the matrix, effectively capturing damage evolution. Through discrete formulations for the homogenization, the proposed model’s capability is demonstrated via three numerical examples and validated against experimental investigations, proving its effectiveness and reliability in simulating CFRP damage.