Analysis of composites using peridynamics

Since the last century a lot of effort has been spent trying to analyze damage and crack evolution in solids. This field is of interest because of the many applications that require the study of the behavior of materials at the micro- or nanoscale, i.e. modeling of composites and advanced aerospace applications. Peridynamics is a recently developed theory that substitutes the differential equations that constitute classical continuum mechanics with integral equations. Since integral equations are valid at discontinuities and cracks, peri-dynamics is able to model fracture and damage in a more natural way, without having to work around mathematical singularities present in the classical continuum mechanics theory. The objective of the present work is to show how peridynamics can be implemented in finite element analysis (FEA) using a mesh of one-dimensional truss elements instead of 2-D surface elements. The truss elements can be taken as a rep-resentation of the bonds between molecules or particles in the body and their strength is found according to the physical properties of the material. The possibility implementing peridynamics in a finite element framework, the most used method for structural analysis, is critical for expanding the range of problems that can be analyzed, simplifying the verification of the code and for making fracture analysis computationally cheaper. The creation of an in-house code allows for easier modifications, customization and enrichment if more complex cases (such as multiscale modeling of composites or piezoresistive materials) are to be ana