Simulation of thermoplastics

This one-day course is aimed at LS-DYNA users who are involved in the practical modelling of thermoplastic polymers. After a short theoretical introduction to the mechanical behaviour of thermoplastics, it will be shown which tests are necessary to identify the parameters of various constitutive models. The evaluation of experiments for material characterization will be discussed in detail and it will be shown how material cards can be generated from the experimental data. The focus is set on phenomenological constitutive models where the range of applicability is explained in detail. The application of the discussed models is demonstrated by exercises.

Contents:

• Mechanical behaviour of polymer materials
  • Non-reversible deformations
  • Damage mechanisms of thermoplastics
• Continuum Mechanical Basics
  • Deformation measures
  • Volumetric expansion
  • Plastic transverse contraction
  • Strain and stress measures
• Experimental characterization of unreinforced and reinforced thermoplastics
  • based on tensile tests
  • based on bending tests
• Modelling
  • Isochoric constitutive behaviour with von Mises plasticity (*MAT_024)
  • Visco-plastic constitutive behaviour with *MAT_024
  • Different flow behaviour, tensile and compressive loading: *MAT_124 and *MAT_187 (SAMP-1)
  • Thermoplastics with increasing macroscopic volume with SAMP-1 (*MAT_187)
  • Fibre-reinforced thermoplastics with anisotropic elastic and plastic deformation behaviour (*MAT_157)
  • Damage modelling of thermoplastics with *MAT_ADD_EROSION (GISSMO)