Damage evolution in a filled epoxy resin Original Research Article

A method is proposed for studying damage evolution in a filled epoxy resin submitted to low-cycle fatigue loading. Transmission electron microscopy analysis was performed, which indicates a damage mechanism that corresponds well to the decreasing slope of the stress–strain hysteresis observed in strain-controlled fatigue experiments. Also, the suggested damage model appears to be suitable for the simulation of strain-controlled cyclic tests and fits the damage evolution of the filled epoxy resin fairly well.