Introduction of damage evolution in a scale transition approach for highly-filled particulate composites

The present paper deals with a non-conventional scale transition for modelling the behaviour of highly-filled particulate composites, starting from a methodology initially proposed by Christoffersen [Christoffersen J. Bonded granulates. J Mech Phys Solids 1983;31:55–83] and recently extended by Nadot et al. [Nadot C, Dragon A, Trumel H, Fanget A. Damage modelling framework for viscoelastic particulate composites via a scale transition approach. J Theor Appl Mech 2006;44(3):553–83] in presence of damage. The model thus obtained is here completed with several ingredients allowing to describe damage evolution and in particular a defect nucleation criterion as well as a closure criterion. These criteria are formulated in terms of displacement, and so as to ensure continuity in terms of macroscopic stress. They are finally introduced in an iterative numerical solving procedure which allows to follow damage evolution as a discrete sequence of interfacial debonding including also eventual closure of defects.