A dynamic-micromechanical constitutive model to predict the strain rate dependent shear behavior of neat and reinforcerd polymers with carbon nanofibers

Mechanical properties of polymeric materials are significantly sensitive to the loading rate. Therefore, it is necessary to develop a dynamic constitutive model to investigate their strain rate dependent mechanical behavior. In this study, first by conducting torsion experiments the shear behavior of neat and reinforced epoxy with carbon nano-fibers (CNFs) was studied experimentally. Then, the Johnson-Cook (J-C) model has been modified to be able to model the shear behavior of neat polymers. The strain rate effects on elastic behavior of polymers were considered by introducing a material equation. Then, by combining the modified Johnson-Cook (MJ-C) model with a micromechanical model (Halpin-Tsai model) and using pure polymer experimental tesults and mechanical properties of carbon nano fiber, the strain rate dependent mechanical behavior of polymers reinforced with CNFs at arbitrary strain rates and volume farction of carbon nanofiber has been predicted. The new model presented in this research is called as the dynamic-micromechanical constitutive model. The predicted results for the neat and nano-phased polymers were compared with conducted and available experimental results. It has been shown that the present dynamic constitutive model can predict the strain rate dependent mechanical behavior of polymeric materials with a good accuracy.