Modelling of mechanical properties of randomly oriented strands thermoplastic composites

Randomly oriented strands (ROS) thermoplastic composites have attractive properties, such as great formability and high modulus, but their properties are highly variable due to heterogeneous macrostructure. This paper proposes a stochastic finite element technique that predicts strength and modulus of ROS composites. It is based on the concept of random strands generation to model variability, and it utilizes Hashin's failure criteria and fracture energies to estimate strength. Overall, the model matches experimental results and shows that failure of ROS composites is matrix-dominated and follows the "weakest-link" principle.Peer reviewed: YesNRC publication: Ye