A thermo-elasto-plastic constitutive law for inhomogeneous materials based on an incremental Mori-Tanaka approach

The behavior of a composite consisting of aligned thermo-elastic reinforcements embedded in a thermo-elastoplastic matrix is described by an incremental Mori-Tanaka mean field approach. The matrix phase behavior is described by incremental J(2) plasticity and the breakdown of isotropy of the matrix phase upon yielding is accounted for. The proposed method is implemented as a constitutive material model for a finite element code incorporating temperature dependent material data. An implicit solution strategy is introduced and special emphasis is put on the appropriate handling of the thermal expansion behavior. The applicability of the method is shown by both material characterization and a structural analysis of a hybrid component. (C) 1999 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.