VUMAT for Fabric Reinforced Composites

1. Introduction

This document describes a constitutive model for fabric reinforced composites that was introduced in
Abaqus/Explicit 6.8. The model has been implemented as a built-in VUMAT user subroutine. It can be
accessed by naming your material such that it begins with the string ABQ_PLY_FABRIC, e.g.
ABQ_PLY_FABRIC_1.

The model is currently supported for plane-stress elements; this includes shell (S4R and S3R), continuum
shell (SC6R and SC8R), plane stress (CPS family) and membrane (M3D family) elements. User materials
are currently not supported in ABAQUS/Explicit for small-strain shell elements (S4RS).

When user-defined materials are employed to define the material response of shell elements,
ABAQUS/Explicit cannot calculate a default value for the transverse shear stiffness of the element.
Hence, you must manually define the element's transverse shear stiffness. See “Shell section behavior,”
Section 24.6.4 of the Version 6.8 ABAQUS Analysis User’s Manual, for guidelines on choosing this
stiffness.

This document describes the basic equations of the constitutive model and provides detailed information
of the user interface to the VUMAT implementation in ABAQUS.

2. Continuum damage model for fabric reinforced composites

A schematic representation of the geometry of the woven fabric reinforcement considered in the
constitutive model is shown in Figure 1. The fiber directions are assumed to be orthogonal.

Figure 1: Schematic representation of woven

fabric. Fibers are aligned with directions 1 and 2
of a local coordinate system.

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The constitutive stress-strain relations are formulated in a local Cartesian coordinate system with base
vectors aligned with the fiber directions, as shown in Figure 1.

The fabric-reinforced ply is modeled as a homogeneous orthotropic elastic material with the potential to
sustain progressive stiffness degradation due to fiber/matrix cracking, and plastic deformation under
shear loading. The different aspects of the model are discussed next.

Copyright Dassault Systèmes, 2008 Page 1 of 9

VUMAT for Fabric Reinforced Composites

2.1. Elastic stress-strain relations

It is assumed that the elastic stress-strain relations are given by orthotropic damaged elasticity. Referred
to a local coordinate system aligned with the fiber directions (Figure 1) the elastic relations take the form:

 1 −ν 12 
 0 
(1 − d1 ) E1 E1
 ε11    σ 
   −ν 21 1   11 
 ε 22  =  E2 (1 − d 2 ) E2
0   σ 22  (1)
 ε el    σ 
 12     12 
1
 0 0 
 (1 − d12 )2G12 

The damage variables d 1 and d 2 are associated with fiber fracture along the 1 and 2 directions
respectively, whereas d 12 is related to matrix micro-cracking due to shear deformation. The model
differentiates between tensile and compressive fiber failure modes by activating the corresponding
damage variable depending on the stress state in the fiber directions. Thus:

< σ 11 > < −σ 11 > < σ 22 > < −σ 22 >

d 1 = d 1+ + d 1− ; d 2 = d 2+ + d 2− (2)
| σ 11 | | σ 11 | | σ 22 | | σ 22 |

In order to incorporate different initial (undamaged) stiffness in tension and compression, the values of
the elastic constants E1 , E 2 and ν 12 are assumed to take their tensile or compressive values depending
on the sign of tr (ε) = ε 11 + ε 22 .

2.2. Fiber response

The material response along the fiber directions is characterized with damaged elasticity. It is assumed
that the fiber damage variables are a function of the corresponding effective stress, that is:

d 1+ = d 1+ (σ~1+ ) d 1− = d 1− (σ~1− )
(3)
d = d (σ~ )
2+ 2+ 2+ d = d (σ~ )
2− 2− 2−

The effective stresses are defined as:

< σ 11 > < −σ 11 >

σ~1+ = σ~1− =
(1 − d 1+ ) (1 − d 1− )
(4)
< σ 22 > < −σ 22 >
σ~ 2+ = σ~ 2− =
(1 − d 2 + ) (1 − d 2 − )

In order to simplify notation, an index α will be used in subsequent discussions, such that it takes the
value α = 1(+/−), 2(+/−), depending on the sign of the corresponding stresses. Thus, the above four
equations for the damage variables are rewritten as:

d α = d α (σ~α ) (5)

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VUMAT for Fabric Reinforced Composites

It is noted that the effective stresses σ~α are directly related to the thermodynamic forces, Yα , that are
work conjugate to the damage variables, through the relationship σ~ = 2 E Y . Therefore the above
α α α

equation states that the fiber damage variables depend only on the corresponding thermodynamic force.

At any given time the elastic domain is defined in terms of the damage activation functions, Fα , as

Fα = φα − rα ≤ 0 (6)

The functions φα provide a criterion for fiber failure and are assumed to take the form

σα
φα = ; (α =1+,1−, 2+, 2−) (7)
Xα

where X α are the tensile/compressive strengths for uniaxial loading along the fiber directions.

The damage thresholds, rα , are initially set to one. After damage activation ( φα = 1 ) they increase with
increasing damage according to:

rα (t ) = max φα (τ ) (8)
τ ≤t

The definition ensures that the damage thresholds are non-decreasing quantities ( rα (t ) ≥ 0 ). The damage
thresholds are assumed to obey the Kuhn-Tucker complementary conditions:

Fα ≤ 0 rα ≥ 0 rα Fα = 0 (9)

and the consistency condition:

rα Fα = 0 (10)

Note that the formulation can be easily enhanced to take the effects of damage upon load reversal into
account. For example, compressive damage will usually degrade the tensile response if the loading is
reversed from compression to tension. On the other hand, tensile cracks close under compressive
loading and have little effect on the compressive response.

The evolution of the damage variables are a function of the damage thresholds and the fracture energy
per unit area under uniaxial tensile/compressive loading, G αf . The formulation of the damage evolution law
ensures that the damage variables are monotonically increasing quantities. It also ensures that the
correct amount of energy is dissipated when the lamina is subjected to uniaxial loading conditions along
the fiber directions.

The evolution of the damage variables is given by the equation:

exp(− Aα (rα − 1) );
1
dα = 1− dα ≥ 0 , (11)
rα

where
2 g 0α Lc
Aα = (12)
G f − g 0α Lc
α

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VUMAT for Fabric Reinforced Composites

Here, Lc is the characteristic length of the element, G αf is the fracture energy per unit area under uniaxial
tensile/compressive loading, and g 0α is the elastic energy density (i.e. per unit volume) at the point of
damage initiation:

X α2
g 0α = (13)
2 Eα

The formulation of the damage evolution law ensures that the damage variables are monotonically
increasing quantities. It also ensures that the correct amount of energy is dissipated when the lamina is
subjected to uniaxial loading conditions along the fiber directions. For instance, under uniaxial tensile
loading in the fiber 1 direction, the dissipated energy per unit area is equal to the fracture energy G 1f+ .

This holds true provided that:

G αf
G αf − g 0α Lc > 0 ⇔ Lc < Lmax = (14)
g 0α

The formulation therefore imposes a restriction on the maximum element size that can be used to
accurately capture the right amount of energy dissipation during fracture. If the characteristic element size
of the FE mesh is greater than Lmax , the analysis will over-predict the energy dissipation.

Note that, from Abaqus 6.10-EF1 onwards, the critical element length for each of the ABQ_PLY_FABRIC
materials and a representative list of elements that exceed this criterion are printed in the .sta file.

2.3. Shear response

As mentioned earlier, the shear response is dominated by the non-linear behavior of the matrix, which
includes both plasticity and stiffness degradation due to matrix microcracking. The main ingredients of the
shear response are discussed below.

2.3.1 Elasticity

The elastic relations give the effective (undamaged) stress in terms of elastic strain:

σ 12
σ~12 = = 2G12 ε 12el = 2G12 (ε 12 − ε 12pl ) (15)
(1 − d12 )

2.3.2 Plasticity

 Yield function:

| σ12 | −σ 0 (ε pl ) ≤ 0
F= (16)

The hardening function is assumed to be of the form:

σ~0 (ε pl ) = σ~ y 0 + C (ε pl ) p (17)

 Flow rule: Assuming associated flow, then

∂F
ε12pl = ε pl = ε pl sign(σ~12 ) (18)
∂σ~12

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VUMAT for Fabric Reinforced Composites

The evolution of the plastic work during yielding is given as

U pl = σ 12 ε12pl = (1 − d12 )σ~12 ε12pl = (1 − d12 )σ~0 ε pl (19)

2.3.3 Damage

The elastic domain is defined in terms of the damage activation function, F12 , as

F12 = φ12 − r12 ≤ 0 (20)

The function φ12 provides the criterion for initiation of shear damage of the matrix, which is
assumed to be of the form

σ~12
φ12 = (21)
S

σ12 σ 12 /(1 − d12 ) is the effective shear stress, and S is the shear stress for initiation of
Here=
matrix damage.

The damage threshold, r12 , is initially set to one and increases after damage activation ( φ12 = 1 )
according to

r12 (t ) = max φ12 (τ ) (22)

τ ≤t

Finally, based on [1] it is assumed that the shear damage variable increases with the logarithm of
r12 until a maximum value d12max is reached. Thus:

d12 = min(α 12 ln(r12 ), d12max ) (23)

where α 12 > 0 , and d 12max ≤ 1 are material properties.

2.4. Element Deletion

The VUMAT provides two options to delete elements:

1) The element is deleted when any one tensile/compressive damage variable along the fiber
directions reaches a maximum specified value, d 1 = d max or d 2 = d max , or when the plastic strain
due to shear deformation reaches a maximum specified value, ε pl
= ε max
pl
. This option is activated
by setting the flag lDelFlag=1.

2) The element is deleted when the damage variables along both fiber directions reach a maximum
specified value, d1 = d 2 = d max , or when the plastic strain due to shear deformation reaches a
maximum specified value, ε pl
= ε max
pl
. This option is activated by setting the flag lDelFlag=2.

These two options can be combined with a deformation-based element deletion criterion based on the
values of the maximum ( εˆmax > 0 ) and minimum ( εˆmin < 0 ) principal logarithmic strains that the element
can sustain before it gets deleted.

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VUMAT for Fabric Reinforced Composites

3. Calibration procedure

The elastic constants and the fiber tension/compression strengths, X α , are easily measured from
standard coupon tests in uniaxial tension/compression loading of 0/90 laminates. The calibration of
damage evolution in the fiber failure modes is based on the fracture energy per unit area of the material,
G αf , which can be measured experimentally.

The shear response is usually calibrated with a cyclic tensile test on a ±45 laminate, where the strains
along the fiber directions can be neglected. Figure 2 shows the typical shear response of a fabric
reinforced composite. It is noted that the unloading/reloading paths in this figure correspond to an
idealization of the actual response, which usually exhibits hysteretic behavior. The figure will serve as the
starting point for the discussion of a general calibration procedure for the parameters that enter the
damage and plasticity equations.

σ 12

σ y0
Figure 2: Schematic representation
S of typical shear response of a fabric
reinforced composite.
(1 − d12 )G12

ε12pl ε12el ε 12

The level of damage can be measured from the ratio of the unloading stiffness to the initial (undamaged)
elastic stiffness. This allows us to compute pairs of stress-damage values, (σ 12 , d12 ) , for each unloading
curve. This data can be represented in the space of d versus ln(σ~ ) , where σ~ = σ /(1 − d ) . A linear
12 12 12 12 12

fit of the data provides the values of α 12 (slope of the line) and S (intersection with the horizontal axis)
as shown in Figure 3. Sometimes the damage data shows indication of a saturation value, which would
be used to determine d 12max ≤ 1 . Otherwise a value of d 12max = 1 should be used.

d12

d12max
Figure 3: Calibration of the shear
damage parameters α 12 and S

α12

ln(S ) ln(σ~12 )

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VUMAT for Fabric Reinforced Composites

Finally, for each unloading curve in Figure 2, the plastic strain ε 12pl at the onset of unloading is determined
from the value of residual deformation in the unloaded state. The values of (σ~ , ε pl ) at the onset of
12 12
unloading are then used to fit the parameters of the hardening curve, as illustrated in Figure 4.

σ~12

σ~y 0 + C (ε pl ) p Figure 4: Calibration of the shear

σ~y 0 hardening curve

ε12pl

4. User interface

To activate the model for fabric reinforced composites the material name must start with the string
ABQ_PLY_FABRIC, e.g. ABQ_PLY_FABRIC_1. A synopsis of the interface is shown below. The number
of solution dependent variables (under keyword option *DEPVAR) is 16, and the DELETE parameter is
equal to 16. Refer to Table 1 for a detailed description of each material constant specified in the keyword
interface.

*MATERIAL, NAME= ABQ_PLY_FABRIC

*DENSITY
ρ
*USER MATERIAL, CONSTANTS=40
** Line 1:
E1+ , E 2+ , ν 12+ , G12 , E1− , E 2− , ν 12−
** Line 2:
X 1+ , X 1− , X 2+ , X 2− , S
** Line 3:
G 1f+ , G 1f− , G 2f + , G 2f − , α 12 , d12max
** Line 4:
σ~ y 0 , C , p
** Line 5:
lDelFlag, d max , ε max pl
, εˆmax , εˆmin
*DEPVAR, DELETE=16
16
Table 1: User material constants for the fabric reinforced composite material model.

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VUMAT for Fabric Reinforced Composites

LINE: 1
Pos. Symbol Description
1 E1+ Young’s modulus along fiber direction 1 when tr (ε) ≥ 0

2 E 2+ Young’s modulus along fiber direction 2 when tr (ε) ≥ 0

3 ν 12+ Poisson ratio when tr (ε) ≥ 0

4 G12 Shear modulus

5 E1− Young’s modulus along fiber direction 1 when tr (ε) < 0

6 E 2− Young’s modulus along fiber direction 2 when tr (ε) < 0

7 ν 12− Poisson ratio when tr (ε) < 0

8 Not used

LINE: 2 Damage initiation coefficients

Pos. Symbol Description
1 X 1+ Tensile strength along fiber direction 1

2 X 1− Compressive strength along fiber direction 1

3 X 2+ Tensile strength along fiber direction 2

4 X 2− Compressive strength along fiber direction 2

5 S Shear stress at the onset of shear damage
6-8 Not used

LINE: 3 Damage evolution coefficients

Pos. Symbol Description

1 G 1f+ Energy per unit area for tensile fracture along fiber direction 1

2 G 1f− Energy per unit area for compressive fracture along fiber direction 1

3 G 2f + Energy per unit area for tensile fracture along fiber direction 2

4 G 2f − Energy per unit area for compressive fracture along fiber direction 2

5 α 12 Parameter in the equation of shear damage

6 d12max Maximum shear damage

7-8 Not used

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VUMAT for Fabric Reinforced Composites

LINE: 4 Shear plasticity coefficients: σ~0 (ε pl ) = σ~ y 0 + C (ε pl ) p

Pos. Symbol Description

1 σ~ y0 Initial effective shear yield stress

2 C Coefficient in hardening equation
3 p Power term in hardening equation
4-8 Not used

LINE: 5 Controls for material point failure

Pos. Symbol Description
Element deletion flag:
lDelFlag=0: Element is not deleted (default)
lDelFlag=1: Element is deleted when either fiber fails,
1 lDelFlag
d1 = d max or d 2 = d max , or when ε pl
= ε max
pl

lDelFlag=2: Element is deleted when both fibers fail, d1 = d 2 = d max ,

or when ε pl
= ε max
pl
.

2 d max Maximum value of damage variable used in element deletion criterion

Maximum value of equivalent plastic strain for element deletion criterion.
3 ε pl
max (A value of zero means that ε pl is not used as criterion for element
deletion)
Maximum (positive) principal logarithmic strain beyond which the
4 εˆmax
element will get deleted. Ignored if zero, not specified, or lDelFlag=0.
Minimum (negative) principal logarithmic strain beyond which the
5 εˆmin
element will get deleted. Ignored if zero, not specified, or lDelFlag=0.
6-8 Not used

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VUMAT for Fabric Reinforced Composites

5. Output

In addition to the standard (material-independent) output variables in Abaqus/Explicit for stress-

displacement elements (such as stress, S, strain, LE, element STATUS, etc.) the following output
variables have a special meaning for the user material for fabric-reinforced composites:

Output
Symbol Description
Variable

SDV1 d 1+ Tensile damage along fiber direction 1

SDV2 d1− Compressive damage along fiber direction 1

SDV3 d 2+ Tensile damage along fiber direction 2

SDV4 d 2− Compressive damage along fiber direction 2

SDV5 d12 Shear damage

SDV6 r1+ Tensile damage threshold along fiber direction 1

SDV7 r1− Compressive damage threshold along fiber direction 1

SDV8 r2+ Tensile damage threshold along fiber direction 2
SDV9 r2− Compressive damage threshold along fiber direction 2
SDV10 r12 Shear damage threshold

SDV11 ε pl
Equivalent plastic strain
SDV12 ε 11el Elastic strain component 11

SDV13 ε 22
el
Elastic strain component 22

SDV14 Not used

SDV15 ε 12el Elastic strain component 12

SDV16 MpStatus Material point status: 1 if active, 0 if failed.

6. References

[1] Alastair F. Johnson and Josef Simon, “Modeling Fabric Reinforced Composites under Impact Loads”.
In EUROMECH 400: Impact and Damage Tolerance of Composite Materials and Structures. Imperial
College of Science Technology & Medicine, London 27-29 September 1999.

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