Accepted Manuscript

A new numerical method for the mechanical analysis of chopped carbon fiber
tape-reinforced thermoplastics

Peng Qu, Yi Wan, Chunjiang Bao, Qun Sun, Guangqiang Fang, Jun Takahashi

PII: S0263-8223(18)31178-4
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.compstruct.2018.06.110
Reference: COST 9904

To appear in: Composite Structures

Received Date: 28 March 2018

Revised Date: 22 June 2018
Accepted Date: 27 June 2018

Please cite this article as: Qu, P., Wan, Y., Bao, C., Sun, Q., Fang, G., Takahashi, J., A new numerical method for
the mechanical analysis of chopped carbon fiber tape-reinforced thermoplastics, Composite Structures (2018), doi:
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.compstruct.2018.06.110

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 A new numerical method for the mechanical analysis of

chopped carbon fiber tape-reinforced thermoplastics

Peng Qu a,b,*, Yi Wanb,*, Chunjiang Baoa, Qun Suna, Guangqiang Fangc,

Jun Takahashib,*

a
School of Mechanical and Automotive Engineering, Liaocheng University,

Liaocheng, China

b
Department of Systems Innovation, The University of Tokyo, Bunkyo-ku,

Tokyo, Japan

c
Aerospace System Engineering Shanghai, Shanghai, China

Correspondence to: P. Qu (E-mail: qu-peng@cfrtp.t.u-tokyo.ac.jp), Y. Wan

(E-mail: wan-yi@cfrtp.t.u-tokyo.ac.jp), or J. Takahashi (E-mail:

takahashi-jun@cfrtp.t.u-tokyo.ac.jp)

Abstract

Discontinuous carbon fiber-reinforced thermoplastics (DCFRTP) are promising

materials for the fabrication of complex parts. In predicting the mechanical

properties of DCFRTP with randomly oriented reinforcement, the application of

numerical methods, which employ homogeneous models, is limited because the

mesoscopic structural parameters influencing mechanical properties are not

adequately represented in the macroscopic numerical model. On the basis of the

peridynamic (PD) theory, a new numerical method, which employs a

heterogeneous particle model, is proposed in this investigation for the

mechanical analysis of DCFRTP. The tensile properties of ultra-thin chopped

carbon fiber tape-reinforced thermoplastics (UT-CTT) are investigated using

this numerical method. The relationship between PD horizon size and

characteristic size of UT-CTT is discussed. The effect of model size on the

scattering of the tensile properties is analyzed and the influence of interface

properties on crack propagation is investigated. A comparison between PD

simulations and experimental results indicated a good agreement.

Keywords: Discontinuous fiber composites; random orientation;

heterogeneous particle model; peridynamic theory

1. Introduction

Carbon fiber-reinforced thermoplastics have gained considerable attention

as substitutes for metals in various applications. Ultra-thin chopped carbon fiber

tape-reinforced thermoplastics (UT-CTT), which are a type of discontinuous

carbon fiber reinforced thermoplastics (DCFRTP), show excellent formability

and hence can be used to produce complex shapes at a low cost; further, they
exhibit an outstanding suitability for mass production, especially in the

automotive industry [1-4]. UT-CTT are superior in suppressing micro-cracking,

delamination, and splitting damage due to the thin prepregs [5-7]. A high

volume fraction of carbon fibers in UT-CTT make it possible to achieve high

mechanical properties [ 8 , 9 ]. However, the randomly oriented strands in

UT-CTT induce in-plane isotropic mechanical properties as well as a

multi-scale structure and high heterogeneity, which make mechanical analysis

of the composites challenging [10,11].

The multi-scale structure of such materials gives rise to a number of

meso-scale factors, including the random distribution of short fibers, length of

the tape, and interfacial properties. These meso-scale factors cannot be

represented either accurately or adequately in the simplified conventional

model, which employs a homogenization method. Furthermore, the constitutive

equation involved in the conventional method is a partial differential equation

of the displacement field. The spontaneous formation of discontinuities cannot

be easily represented by the partial differential equations. Therefore, the

application of conventional numerical methods to solve discontinuous problems

in DCFRTP is limited [12-24].

Silling [25-29] proposed a non-local theory of continuum mechanics called

the peridynamic (PD) theory in which integral equations are used to represent

the constitutive relation. This approach can avoid the requirement of continuity
of displacement for the derivatives of displacement in discontinuous areas. As

opposed to the local theory of classical continuum mechanics, PD is a strong

non-local theory of continuum mechanics because the constitutive relation is

constructed using the internal force between any two particles in a certain

horizon [30]. Zhou et al. [31] proposed a conjugated bond linear elastic model

in the framework of the standard bond-based PD to simulate fracture problems

under dynamic loads. Hu et al. [23] proposed a PD model for the analysis of

progressive damage and failure modes in composite laminates with a notch or

an open hole under a tensile load. A pairwise force function for anisotropic

materials was defined using the transverse modulus of the classic laminate

theory. Kilic et al. [32] analyzed the capability of the PD theory in predicting

the damage in laminated composites, including a single lamina, two-ply

laminates, and three-ply laminates of different fiber orientations, with a crack at

the center. Oterkus et al. [33] presented an approach, which is a combination of

the FE method and PD theory, to analyze a stiffened-composite curved panel

with a central slot under the combined action of an internal pressure and axial

tension. Sun et al. [34] proposed a rate-dependent constitutive equation of a PD

model to simulate the entire process occurring in a composite laminate from

low-velocity collision to high-velocity penetration. Hu et al. [35] presented a

bond-based PD model of composite laminates with arbitrary laminate lay-ups.

Stress- and energy-based failure criteria were employed to evaluate the damage
in composite laminates with an open hole under tension and compression.

The remarkable agreement between PD simulation and the experimental

observations in the above published papers demonstrates the capability of the

PD approach to evaluate mechanical properties and to realistically depict failure

initiation and propagation in continuous long fiber-reinforced composites,

especially in the case of laminated composites. Compared to long-fiber

composites, UT-CTT with randomly oriented reinforcement exhibit a large

number of meso-scale structural irregularities; these cannot be easily

characterized by a homogenized PD model. In this study, a heterogeneous

particle model was proposed on the basis of the PD theory to analyze the

mechanical properties of UT-CTT.

2. PD theory

An integral formulation is used to represent the balanced equation between

the rate of change of linear momentum and the applied force on a deformable

body, say B. For a particle of location x (x ∈ B), the equation of motion of the

PD theory can be written as [29]

(x,t) = ∫f(η,ξ)dVx, +b(x,t), t ≥ 0

ρ(x)u (1)
B

where ρ is the mass density of the particle x, u is the displacement of particle x

at time t, ü denotes the acceleration, and b is the body force. For the particles in

region B, there is a horizon H of radius R with this particle as a center. Particle

x interacts with all other particles in its horizon and is not restricted to only its

neighboring particles as in the local model (Fig. 1). The interaction between

two particles (x and x’ for example) is characterized by the pairwise force vector

f. In equation (1), f denotes the force density, i.e., the force per unit volume

squared. It is a function of the relative position vector ξ in the reference

configuration and the relative displacement vector η in the deformed

configuration at time t, as shown in Fig. 2.

ξ = x’–x (2)

Here, x and x’ denote the initial locations of the two particles under

consideration in the coordinate system.

η= u(x’,t) – u(x,t) (3)

where η denotes the relative displacement vector of two bonded particles, u(x’,t)

and u(x,t) denote the displacement vector at time t.

The relative position between x and x’ in the deformed configuration at time t is

defined as

ξt = y–y’ = [x + u(x,t)] – [x’ + u(x’,t)] = ξ + η (4)

where y and y’ denote the locations of the two particles under consideration in

the coordinate system at time t.

In order to ensure the conservation of linear and angular moments, f(η,ξ) is

parallel to the current relative position vector, ξt. The constitutive relationship

of the component materials are specified using the function f(η,ξ). It is regarded

as a bond between the two particles. The change in the relative positions of the

two bonded particles is determined by the bond between them during

deformation. If f is the scalar-valued pairwise force, then

f ( η, ξ ) = f (η , ξ ) D (ξ ) (5)

where D(ξ) is the deformed direction vector, which is defined as

 ξt
 , ξt ≠ 0
D ( ξ ) =  ξt (6)
0, ξt = 0

where • denotes the Euclidean norm and ξt is the length of the deformed

bond at time t.

According to the prototype microelastic brittle (PMB) model [36], the bond

stretch s used in the constitutive relationship

cs, ξ ≤ R and s < sc

f (η , ξ ) =  (7)
0, ξ > R or s ≥ sc

can be defined as

ξt − ξ
s= (8)
ξ

where ξ is the initial length of the bond, R is the radius of the horizon

centered at particle x, and c is the micro-modulus, which is given by

c = mE (9)

where E is the elastic modulus and m is a parameter related to the model

geometry. According to the energy conservation law, the relationship between c

and E of homogenous material was determined by

6
m= 4 (10)
π R (1 − 2υ)

where ʋ is the Poisson’s ratio.

In equation (7), sc represents the critical stretching of the bond, similar to the

elongation at break, which is related to the fracture properties of the

components in the composites. The bond breaks when it elongates beyond the

critical stretch [26].

5G0
sc = (11)
9 KR

where G0 is the critical energy release rate of the material and K is the bulk

modulus.

No interactions exist with particles beyond the defined horizon whose size

is determined by the parameter R. Therefore, R is not only a geometry

parameter but also an important constitutive parameter. This characteristic of R

can be used to simulate the mechanical properties of multi-scale structures, such

as DCFRTPs, in which a number of meso-scale structural parameters contribute

to macro-scale mechanical properties. A history-dependent scalar Boolean

function can be defined as follows.

1, s ( t ',η , ξ ) < sc

µ ( t ,η , ξ ) =  (12)
0, s ( t ',η , ξ ) ≥ sc
Here, 0 ≤ t’ ≤ t and the damage state of particle x is defined as follows.

∫ µ ( t ,η , ξ ) dV
H
x'

D( x, t ) = 1 − (13)
∫ dVx '
H

After bond breakage between two particles, a short-range repulsive force

exists between them; this can be used to represent the possible contact between

these two particles during subsequent deformation [36]

ξt  c 
fs = min 0, s ( ξ t − d s )  (14)
ξt  R 

{
d s = min 0.9 ξ ,1.35 ( rs − rs' ) } (15)

where rs and r’s denote the characteristic dimensions of the particles x and x’,

respectively, and cs is a multiple of the micro-modulus c. It is defined as

follows.

cs = 15c (16)

3. Numerical model of UT-CTT

3.1. Discretization of numerical models

A cubic particle is used to discretize the PD model. Such particles form
simple cubic lattices, where the length of the cube is defined as a. Then, the
volume of each particle can be calculated as a3. The lattice is not the node or the
element in the finite element model (FEM). In contrast to FEM, this numerical
model is mesh-free and the geometrical connections between particles is not
restricted. The integral form of the equation of motion can then be written in a
discretized form through a finite sum
p q


in = ∑ f(ηnj ,ξ j )V jVi + ∑ f s (ηnz , ξ z )VzVi + biVi
ρ (x)u (17)
j =1 z =1

where n is the number of time steps, j is the particle belong in the horizon of the
particle i, p is the total number of particles in the horizon (apart from i), f is the
pairwise force, z is the particle within a distance ds of particle i in the current
configuration, and q is the total number of particles in this zone. Due to the
shape and volume of the particle, the particles near the boundary of the horizon
of particle i are partly located inside the horizon. The interaction between these
particles and the centered particle can be represented as
 1 R 1  0
 − ξ +( + ) V j , R − rs ≤ ξ ≤ R
V j =   2rs 2rs 2  (18)
 0
V j , ξ ≤ R − rs

where Vj0 is the full volume of particle j. An explicit central difference formula
is used to calculate the acceleration
uin +1 − 2uin + uin −1


in =
u (19)
∆t 2
where ∆t is the time step according to the stability condition proposed by Silling
and Askari [26].

2ρ
∆t < (20)
c
∑
p
j =1
Vj
x j − xi

The damage state in the discretized form can be written as

∑
p
j =1
µ ( t ,η, ξ ) V j
D( x, t ) = 1 − (21)
∑ j=1Vj
p

3.2. Materials and specimens

 UT-CTT has been developed in the Takahashi Lab at the University of

Tokyo; it is considered a potential material for mass-production applications. A

UT-CTT is composed of a randomly oriented unidirectional prepreg tape (44

µm thick), which is ultra-thin (UT) compared to a conventional tape (about 150

µm thick), as shown in Fig. 3 (a). The UT-tapes were provided by the Industrial

Technology Center of Fukui Prefecture, Japan; they were cut to 5 mm width

with different lengths (6 mm, 12 mm, 18 mm, 24 mm, and 30 mm). To ensure

better tape distribution properties and preserve the tape structure after molding,

intermediate UT-CTT sheets were manufactured by a wet-type paper making

process, as illustrated in Fig. 3 (b). These sheets were cut into pieces according

to the mold dimensions and subsequently stacked together by heating to

produce final UT-CTT plates of a higher thickness, as shown in Fig. 3 (c).

Therefore, the produced UT-CTT has a laminated structure and each of the

intermediate sheets counts as one ply. The tensile testing process is described

elsewhere [2]. The semi-prepreg tapes were manufactured from carbon fiber

tow (TR 50S, Mitsubishi Rayon Co., Ltd.) and Polyamid-6 film (PA6,

DIAMIRONTM C, Mitsubishi Plastics, Inc.) The components in the UT-CTT

structure are listed in Table 1 [2].

3.3. A numerical model to describe the random orientation of chopped carbon

fiber tapes
 In a PD model, particles and bonds are used to describe the physical

properties of a material. Particles with certain volume and density are used to

represent various components. The interaction between particles is defined by a

bond to represent the mechanical properties of the material. The breakage of

bonds between particles can simulate the initiation and propagation of damage

via the PD equation of motion, which involves damage criteria. The PD model

proposed in this study for discontinuous fiber composites is a non-homogenized

numerical model. The components of UT-CTT, carbon fiber and matrix, are

identified separately in the PD model, which can include many meso-scale

structural parameters, such as the orientation of fibers in the produced UT-CTT.

Wan et al. [4] investigated the internal geometry of a UT-CTT. It was found

that the UT-CTT is almost in-plane oriented and the carbon fiber strands are

randomly distributed in the in-plane direction. This random distribution of the

reinforcing fibers can be simulated using heterogeneous particles in the PD

model. Particles of a certain type are used to represent different components in

heterogeneous materials, as shown in Fig. 4. Circles are used to conveniently

show the locations of these particles. The physical and mechanical properties of

the carbon fibers are represented by the reinforcement particles and the bonds

between these particles. The matrix particles and the bonds between them

denote the thermoplastic matrix. The bond between a reinforcement particle and
matrix particle denotes the interface between the carbon fiber and matrix. Each

particle connects with every other particle in its horizon. The relative positions

of two particles determine the orientation of the bond between them. The

orientation of the reinforcement bond represents the orientation of the carbon

fiber in UT-CTT. The random orientation distribution of carbon fibers is

represented by the random orientation distribution of the bonds between

reinforcement particles, which is realized by randomly selecting particles as the

reinforcement component, as shown in Fig.4 (b). The color denotes the type of

particle.

3.4. PD model parameters

According to the characteristics of carbon fiber orientation in UT-CTT [4],

the PD model of UT-CTT is simplified as a laminated structure consisting of an

intra-ply model and an inter-ply model, as shown in Fig. 4. In the case of the

intra-ply model, the particles in one ply are divided into two types to represent

the reinforcement and matrix.

All the particles considered in the PD model have the same volume. The

lattice constant a is determined by the computation efficiency and geometric

size of the UT-CTT, especially the thickness of the UT-CTT. The total number

of particles is determined by the lattice constant a and the actual size of the
specimen, n = V/a3, where V is the volume of the specimen. The number of

particles in the thickness direction of the PD model (nt) is determined by the

lattice constant a and the actual thickness of the specimen (h), nt = h/a. Particles

with identical locations in the thickness direction constitute one ply and nt is

identical to the number of plies in the numerical model. Owing to the

limitations on computational ability, the lattice constant a is not small enough to

represent the actual thickness of the tape (44µm) and the plies in the PD model

are simplified compared to the actual plies in the specimen. The number of

reinforcement particles (nr) is determined by the total number of particles (n)

and the actual volume fraction of carbon fibers (Vf) in the UT-CTT (nr = nVf).

The size of the horizon used in the PD model was originally introduced as a

purely model related parameter without any physical background. Silling and

Askari [26] proposed that at the microscale, the size of the horizon may depend

on the physical nature of the application being modeled. Butt et al. [37]

investigated the relationship between the size of a PD horizon and the

characteristic size of the heterogeneities by comparing the experimental results

and PD predictions on two kinds of sandstone. They proposed to associate a

non-local horizon with a characteristic length of material microstructure. At the

macroscale, the size of the horizon is determined according to convenience, as

the parameter m, which is related to the model geometry, can be fitted to the

experimental data for a horizon of any size. In this study, the radius of the
horizon was determined by comparison with experimental results. The

relationship between the size of the PD horizon and the characteristic size of

UT-CTT at mesoscale was discussed. Unlike the homogeneous PD models in

which the horizon is uniform, the horizons of different components are

identified individually in this PD model in order to represent the meso-structure

of the UT-CTT. There are four kinds of horizons corresponding to the intra-ply

reinforcement, intra-ply matrix, intra-ply interface, and inter-ply interface.

Therefore, each particle has three horizons corresponding to three kinds of

bonds, including one homogeneous bond and two interface bonds.

To simplify calculation, the transverse modulus of the unidirectional carbon

fiber reinforced tape, ET, and the Poisson’s ratio of the matrix are used to

represent the micro-modulus of the bond between heterogeneous particles. ET

was determined through the mix rule of composites as shown below

 

 = (22)
   

where Ef and Em denote the Young’s modulus of fiber and matrix respectively,

Vf and Vm denote the volume fraction of fiber and matrix respectively.

The critical stretching of the bond is related to the critical energy release

rate, as shown in equation (11). Two kinds of interface bonds were proposed in

this PD model; the first one is a bond between carbon fiber and matrix

(intra-ply interface bond), while the other is a bond between adjacent plies

(inter-ply interface bond). The tape is regarded as a unidirectional carbon

fiber-reinforced composite. The UT-CTT consists of tapes and is simplified as

an ideal laminated structure in the PD model. Under tensile loading, the

separation of the interface bonds is similar to the mode II fracture of UT-CTT;

in simple terms, the critical stretch of the interface bond is determined by the

mode II critical energy release rate of the UT-CTT. Studies on the interface

toughness of carbon fiber-reinforced PA6 were previously conducted by Guo

[38], GIC=3.45N/mm, GIIC=5.04N/mm.

4. Results and Discussion

4.1. Effect of tape length on the tensile properties of UT-CTT

Wan [2,7] and Yamashita [39] discussed the effect of tape length on the

mechanical properties of UT-CTT. It was found that both the tensile modulus

and tensile strength increase with the increase of the tape length. In this study,

extensive simulation work focusing on the relationship between horizon and

tape length was conducted.

The lattice constant a was set as 0.5 mm in the PD model, whose

dimensions were 35 mm × 50 mm × 2 mm (a 50 mm extensometer was used for

the experiments), and the total number of particles was 30,805. The number of

particles in the thickness direction was 4 and there were 4 plies in the PD model.
It was found that when the radius of reinforcement horizon is approximately 4a,

the predicted modulus and strength agree well with the experimental data [2], as

shown in Fig. 5. With the increase of horizon radius, the predicted tensile

modulus and strength increase. This trend is consistent with the effect of tape

length on the tensile properties of UT-CTT [39], as shown in Fig. 6. In a

UT-CTT, the tape length is a key characteristic at the meso-scale and

determines the continuity of the reinforcement, which plays an important role in

resistance to deformation. In the PD model proposed in this study, the horizon

was defined on the basis of the individual components. The reinforcement

horizon determines the number of carbon particles bonded together. An increase

of the horizon radius induces more carbon fiber particles being connected up as

a continuum in the PD model. Therefore, the horizon radius in this PD model

can be used to qualitatively characterize the tape length in UT-CTT.

4.2. Effect of the size of the PD model on the prediction results

The effect of PD model size on the prediction of tensile mechanical

properties was investigated using three PD models of different sizes (mini

model 6 mm × 6 mm × 2 mm, media model 15 mm × 25 mm × 2 mm, and large

model 30 mm × 50 mm × 2 mm). All the PD parameters are identical in the

three models, except for the model size. The thicknesses of the three models are
identical as well as the number of plies. For each size, five numerical models

with different reinforcement distributions were employed to analyze the scatter

of the mechanical properties. The simulated stress-strain curves are shown in

Fig. 7. In the primary stage of tensile loading, all the models possess a linear

strain-stress relationship. It was noticed that mini models exhibited a non-linear

stress-strain relationship near the peak stress. In contrast, large models showed

a linear mechanical behavior. In the small model, a slight non-linear mechanical

behavior was induced before fracture owing to the limitation on the model size.

Compared to the large model, the crack propagates in a narrow range limited by

the model size, as shown in Fig. 8 (a). It is easy for the crack to propagate

towards the clamp, which was modeled as a rigid part and does not deform. The

crack near the clamp part only propagates in the transverse direction in the

small model. It can propagate more freely in the large model, which leads to

brittle fracture.

The simulated tensile properties of small and large PD models are compared,

as shown in Fig. 9. It was found that the predicted tensile modulus agrees well

with the experimental data reported by Suganuma et al. [40]. The influence of

size on the predicted tensile modulus is not significant. The coefficient of

variation (CV) of the large model is less than that of the small model. With the

increase of the size, the number of particles increases as well as the uniformity

of carbon fiber distribution. Therefore, the CV induced by the random

distribution of reinforcement decreases. The CV of PD models is much lesser

than that of experimental specimens [40]. The scatter of the elastic modulus of

the PD model is induced by the random distribution of reinforcement alone.

Meanwhile, the scatter in the experimental results is induced by the random

distribution of reinforcement and the uncontrolled variance during

experimentation, such as the defects in the specimens.

The difference in the predicted tensile strengths of the small and large

models is obvious. The simulated tensile strength of the large model is less than

that of the small model. With an increase in the size, the probability of various

kinds of reinforcement distribution increases, including the distribution in

which damage is easily initiated and propagated. Therefore, the predicted

tensile strength decreases with an increase in the size of the model. The CV of

the predicted tensile strength is influenced by the size of the model. Medium

and large models show greater scattering of the predicted results. In small

models, the tensile crack propagates in a narrow zone limited by the size of the

model. In medium and large models, tensile cracks propagate along different

paths according to the reinforcement distribution. The initiation and

propagation of cracks are more random in medium and large models than in the

mini model, which leads to a greater scattering in the predicted strength in

medium and large models.

The contradiction between computational efficiency and model refinement

is always the focus of attention in the development of numerical analysis

methods, especially for materials with heterogeneous components and

multi-scale structures. Numerical calculations were conducted on different

workstations (Lenovo ThinkStation D20 with 24 threads and Dell Precision

T7610 with 32 threads). The computational times of PD models of different

sizes are listed in Table 2. As the difference in the predicted tensile moduli of

small and large models is slight, the tensile modulus can be predicted using the

small PD model, which takes less time to calculate. On the other hand, the

tensile strength should be predicted by the large PD model whose size is close

to the actual size of the experimental specimen.

4.3. The effect of interface properties on the tensile mechanical properties of

UT-CTT

The effect of interface properties on the tensile mechanical properties of

UT-CTT was investigated using the PD model proposed in this study. The

interfaces between heterogeneous components were characterized in terms of

the properties of bonds connecting different kinds of particles in this

non-homogenization model. According to equation (11), critical stretch is

proportional to the square root of the critical energy release rate, which

characterizes the interface properties. Therefore, the critical stretch of the

interface bond was used to represent the interfacial properties of the UT-CTT.

Wan has conducted the experimental investigation on the effect of the

molding pressure on the mechanical properties of UT-CTT [7]. Two different
molding processes were utilized for UT-CTT manufacturing: high-pressure
molding and low-pressure molding. In high-pressure molding condition, the
intermedium sheets were stacked together and pressed under 1.5 MPa for 300
seconds, then pressed under 10MPa for 700 seconds. In low-pressure molding
condition, the intermedium sheets were stacked together and pressed under 0.5
MPa for 200 seconds, then pressed under 3MPa for 800 seconds. It was found
that the change in molding pressure induces the change in interface properties.
The specimens manufactured under high molding possess better interface
properties and higher tensile modulus in contrast to the low pressure specimens.
The conclusion that the improvement of interface properties induce the increase
of the tensile modulus of UT-CTT can be inferred from Wan’s research work.
In the PD model of UT-CTT, the critical stretch of interface bond is used to
present the interface properties. It is proportional to the square root of the
critical energy release rate, which characterizes the interface properties.
According to the interface toughness of UT-CTT tests, it was found that the
critical stretch bonds is ~0.02. On the basis of this value, 11 PD models with
different critical stretch values of the interface bond (varying from 0.015 to
0.025) were used to investigate the effect of interface properties on the tensile
strength of UT-CTT, as shown in Fig. 10. With an increase in the critical stretch
from 0.015 to 0.02 the simulated tensile strength remains unchanged; from 0.02
to 0.025 the simulated tensile strength increases. It was noticed that an interface
stretch of 0.02 is identical to the critical stretch of the carbon fiber bond. When
the critical stretch of the interface bond is less than that of the reinforcement, a
decrease in the interface critical stretch does not induce a reduction in the
tensile strength of the UT-CTT. The tensile fracture of UT-CTT is determined
by both fiber breakage and interface debonding and both reinforcement damage
and interface failure exist simultaneously in the final failure of the UT-CTT. In
the model with a low critical stretch of the interface, the interface bond breaks
initially followed by the breaking of fiber bonds under tensile loading. In the
model with a high interface critical stretch, the fiber bond breaks initially
followed by the breaking of the interface bond. Simulations on the effect of
interface critical stretch are consistent with the experimental observations on
the influence of interface properties on the tensile strength of UT-CTT [7]. The
tensile strength of a UT-CTT with a weak interface is less than that of a
UT-CTT with a strong interface.

The fracture morphologies of two PD models with different particle

distributions are shown in Fig. 11 and Fig. 12. In each model, two kinds of

interface critical stretch values (0.015 and 0.025) were used to analyze the

effect of interface properties on crack propagation. The particles with warm

colors represent the reinforcement phase and the particles with cool colors

depict the matrix phase. There are four plies in each PD model. The crack path

in each ply is shown to analyze the fracture section. Each ply has different crack

path. The fracture section of the PD model is not uniform. The range of the

crack in the longitudinal direction is in a narrow zone centered along the yellow

dashed line. Compared to the internal plies (2nd and 3rd plies), the surface plies

(1st and 4th plies) show a greater overlap of the heterogeneous particles from the

bottom view, as shown in the enlarged rectangular area in Fig. 11. The matrix

particles overlap with the reinforcement particles in the 1st ply and the
reinforcement particles overlap with the matrix particles in the 4th ply. The

bottom view shows the 4th ply to the 1st ply; the overlap of heterogeneous

particles in the bottom view indicates the upwarp of the reinforcement phase as

shown in the side view. Such an upwarp of the reinforcement phase is similar to

the surface split in UT-CTT under tensile loading (Fig. 13). The overlap of

heterogeneous particles in the internal ply is lesser due to the restraining effect

of the adjacent plies.

The crack path in the model with a strong interface is similar to the one in

the corresponding ply in the weak-interface model. Particle distribution in the

corresponding plies is identical in the strong and weak interface models. The

fracture morphology in 1# model was different from that in 2# model. It was

inferred that the distribution of the reinforcement phase is the dominant factor

determining the crack morphology.

Separation between adjacent reinforcement particles is induced by the

breakage of fiber bonds and is used for the characterization of fiber breakage in

UT-CTT. The separation of heterogeneous particles indicates interface

debonding in UT-CTT. Both the fracture models were observed in the strong

interface model (0.025 critical stretch) and weak interface model (0.015 critical

stretch), such as the enlarged square areas in the 2nd and 4th plies in Fig. 11. The

difference between the strong interface and weak interface models is that there

is more fiber breakage in the strong interface model. As shown in the enlarged
square area in the 3rd ply in Fig.11 and Fig. 12, at the same transverse position,

fiber breakage occurs in the strong interface model, while the fracture model in

the weak interface model follows the mechanism of interface debonding.

The simulated fracture morphology is consistent with the experimental

observations reported by Wan [7], as shown in Fig. 13. By tensile analysis of

UT-CTTs with different interface properties, it was found that fiber breakage

and interface debonding occur in both the weak interface and strong interface

specimens and the frequency of occurrence of the tensile failure models

depended on the specimen molding conditions, which determined the properties

of the interface. In a UT-CTT with a strong interface, the failure model follows

fiber breakage, while interface debonding is more likely to occur in a UT-CTT

with a weak interface.

The stress-strain curves of PD models with different critical interface stretch

values are shown in Fig. 14. With an increase in the critical interface stretch, the

fracture strength of the PD model increases. During the initial stages of tensile

loading, all the PD models exhibit identical stress-strain curves and a linear

relationship exists between stress and strain. A straight line, which is consistent

with the linear stress-strain relationship at the initial stage, was used for the

comparative analysis of the subsequent mechanical behavior. During the last

stage of tensile loading, all the stress-strain curves deviated from the straight

line. With an increase in the critical interface stretch, the divergence between
the straight line and the stress-strain curve increased slightly. The critical stretch

of the bond is independent of the predicted tensile modulus.

5. Conclusions

A new numerical model is proposed in this study for the mechanical

analysis of randomly orientated DCFRTP. On the basis of the PD theory, a

heterogeneous particle model, including matrix particles and reinforcement

particles, was employed to simulate the random orientation of carbon fibers in

UT-CTTusing the random orientation of reinforcement particle bonds, and to

characterize the multi-scale structure of UT-CTT using the non-local model,

and to represent the random initiation and propagation of tensile cracks in

UT-CTT using constitutive relations constructed by integral equations.

1) The possibility of a relationship between the horizon size and

characteristic size of the UT-CTT was discussed. A variation in the horizon size

was used to qualitatively simulate the effect of tape length on the tensile

properties of the UT-CTT. The improvement in the tensile properties induced by

an increase in the tape length was simulated by an increase in the deformation

resistance caused by an increase in the horizon size.

2) The influence of model size on the mechanical properties was

investigated. Scattering in the mechanical properties, which was induced by the

random distribution of the reinforcement phase, was simulated. The observation

that an increase in the model size decreases the CV of tensile modulus is

consistent with experimental observations.

3) The effect of interfacial properties on the tensile mechanical properties

was investigated using the proposed heterogeneous particle model. The

distribution of the reinforcement phase determines the tensile crack morphology,

while the interface properties influence the fracture model. In contrast to the

weak interface model, fiber breakage is more dominant in the strong interface

model.

This heterogeneous particle model provides a new numerical modeling

method for heterogeneous materials with randomly oriented reinforcements.

Further, the application of this heterogeneous particle model is not limited to

UT-CTTs. Numerical analysis on other randomly oriented DCFRTP systems,

such as carbon-fiber paper-reinforced thermoplastics (CPT) and sandwich

structure with CPT and CTT, will be conducted using this PD model in near

future.

Acknowledgements

This work was supported by the Scientific Research Fund of Liaocheng

University (31805), National Key Basic Research Program of China

(JCKY2016205B007), National Natural Science Foundation of China

(51573094), Japan Society for the Promotion of Science (JSPS) Postdoctoral

Fellowship for Research, and a Grant-in-Aid for the JSPS Research Fellow

(Grant Number 17F17707). The authors sincerely thank the Industrial

Technology Center of Fukui Prefecture, Japan for supplying the UT-CTT

prepreg sheets.

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Figures

(a) (b)

Fig. 1. (a) Local model and (b) non-local model

Fig. 2. Diagram of the variables in a PD model

Fig. 3. Manufacturing of a UT-CTT. (a) UT-tapes, (b) intermediate UT-CTT

sheets, and (c) UT-CTT

(a) (b) (c) (d)

Fig. 4. A heterogeneous particle model. (a) Particles and bonds in the in-plane

direction. (b) Random orientation of reinforcement bond in the intra-ply model.

(c) Inter-ply model. (d) Bond description

Fig. 5. (a) Simulated and (b) experimental stress-strain curves of UT-CTT under

tensile load

Fig. 6. A comparison between the experimental and simulated results with

respect to the effect of tape length on the tensile properties of UT-CTT. (a)

Tensile modulus and (b) tensile strength

 (a) (b) (c)

Fig. 7. Simulated mechanical behavior of PD models of different sizes. (a)

Small model, (b) medium model, and (c) large model

Fig. 8. Crack path in models of different sizes. (a) Mini model and (b) medium

model
Fig. 9. Comparison between the predicted tensile properties of models of

different sizes. (a) Tensile modulus, (b) CV of tensile modulus, (c) tensile

strength, and (d) CV of tensile strength

Fig. 10. Effect of interface properties on the tensile strength of UT-CTT

Fig. 11. Crack morphology of PD model #1. (a) Bottom view and (b) side view

of crack morphology of strong interface PD model. (c) Bottom view and (d)

side view of crack morphology of weak interface PD model.

Fig. 12. Crack morphology of PD model #2. Bottom view of the crack

morphology of (a) a strong interface PD model and (b) a weak interface PD

model
Fig. 13. Crack morphology of an experimental specimen [7]

Fig. 14. Stress-strain curves of PD models with different interface critical

stretch values
Tables

Table 1

Properties of the components in a UT-CTT

Young’s Fracture Volume
Density Strength
Components Material Modulus Strain Fraction
(g/cm3) （MPa）
(GPa) (%) (%)
Carbon fiber TR50 1.82 240 4900 2.0 55
Matrix PA6 1.14 3.31 15.0 30 45
Table 2

Computational time required for PD models of different sizes

Number of Computation time Computation time
particles with 1 thread (h) with 8 threads (h)
Small 845 4 0.7
Medium 7905 12 2
Large 30805 50 7