Creep rupture of fiber bundles: A molecular dynamics investigation

Publikation: Bidrag til tidsskriftTidsskriftartikelForskningfagfællebedømt

  • G. Linga
  • P. Ballone
  • Alex Hansen

The creep deformation and eventual breaking of polymeric samples under a constant tensile load F is investigated by molecular dynamics based on a particle representation of the fiber bundle model. The results of the virtual testing of fibrous samples consisting of 40000 particles arranged on Nc=400 chains reproduce characteristic stages seen in the experimental investigations of creep in polymeric materials. A logarithmic plot of the bundle lifetime τ versus load F displays a marked curvature, ruling out a simple power-law dependence of τ on F. A power law τ∼F-4, however, is recovered at high load. We discuss the role of reversible bond breaking and formation on the eventual fate of the sample and simulate a different type of creep testing, imposing a constant stress rate on the sample up to its breaking point. Our simulations, relying on a coarse-grained representation of the polymer structure, introduce new features into the standard fiber bundle model, such as real-time dynamics, inertia, and entropy, and open the way to more detailed models, aiming at material science aspects of polymeric fibers, investigated within a sound statistical mechanics framework.

OriginalsprogEngelsk
Artikelnummer022405
TidsskriftPhysical Review E (Statistical, Nonlinear, and Soft Matter Physics)
Vol/bind92
Udgave nummer2
ISSN1539-3755
DOI
StatusUdgivet - 10 aug. 2015
Eksternt udgivetJa

ID: 170017231