Three-dimensional numerical modeling of the damage mechanism of amorphous polymer network

The objective of this work is to numerically study the damage mechanism of amorphous polymer network. A molecular polymerization algorithm is employed to generate three-dimensional (3D) amorphous polymer network, in which the entanglement and sliding points are considered. Using 3D network model and finite element method, we obtained the stress–stretch relations of the polymer network and the evolution of molecular chains with deformation. Also, the damage behavior of amorphous polymer network is investigated and discussed in detail, including the nucleation, growth and coalescence of “void” like damage and the formation of craze.