Evaluation of the influence of voids on 3D representative volume elements of fiber-reinforced polymer composites using CUF micromechanics

This paper presents numerical results on the micromechanical linear analysis of representative volume elements (RVE) containing voids. The modeling approach is the micromechanical framework within the Carrera Unified Formulation in which fibers and matrix are 1D finite elements (FE) with enriched kinematics and component-wise capabilities. RVE models are 3D and consider all six stress components. Such a modeling strategy leads to a twofold reduction of the degrees of freedom as compared to 3D FE. The numerical assessments address the influence of the volume fraction and distribution of voids, including comparisons with data from the literature and statistical studies regarding homogenized properties and stress fields. The proposed modeling approach can capture the local effects due to the presence of voids, and, given its computational efficiency, the present framework is promising for nonlinear analysis, such as progressive failure.