Random Lattice Modeling of Fracture in Structural Glass-Fiber Reinforced Polymers

Glass Fiber-Reinforced Polymers (GFRP) are an attractive alternative to traditional construction materials, as a result of their strength-to-weight ratio, corrosion resistance and electromagnetic transparency that can be exploited in design for specific structural applications. However, challenges also arise from the relatively low strength and stiffness in the direction orthogonal to the fibers. The increased deformability resulting from these actions can, in fact, result critical in the design of the elements and potentially cause premature failures under service and ultimate limit state conditions. To this end, numerical methods are an effective means for simulating the nonlinear behavior of GFRP elements and assess safety of structural assemblies. This work proposes a review of recent developments in the definition and validation of random lattice modeling approaches for the simulation of fracture in GFRP structural elements. Attention is devoted to the derivation of appropriate rules to scale the stiffness and strength of each lattice element in the network, to describe the transversally orthotropic behavior of the medium. The mathematical derivation of the relevant element-level matrices will be presented first. Results obtained from numerical simulations at different scales will be discussed, and open challenges and directions for future research presented.