Nonlinear viscoelastic, viscoplastic characterization of unidirectional GF/EP composite

Viscoplastic strains of unidirectional continuous fiber composite (HEXCEL GF/EPprepreg system) are studied experimentally and theoretically. Creep and strainrecovery tests are used. Schapery's nonlinear viscoelastic viscoplasticconstitutive equations are used and generalized to describe inelastic behavior ofunidirectional composite under isothermal creep and strain recovery conditions.

Themethodology to quantify the viscoplastic strains with respect to applied stress isproposed. Viscoplastic strains of composite are described by plastic shear strain inmaterial symmetry axis. Assumptions has been used and validated that the functiondescribing the stress and time dependence of viscoplastic strain can be presented asa product of two, time and correspondingly stress dependent, master curves.