Constitutive modeling of ultra-high molecular weight polyethylene under large-deformation and cyclic loading conditions

When subjected to a monotonically increasing deformation state, the mechanical behavior of UHMWPE is characterized by a linear elastic response followed by distributed yielding and strain hardening at large deformations. During the unloading phases of an applied cyclic deformation process, the response is characterized by nonlinear recovery driven by the release of stored internal energy. A number of different constitutive theories can be used to model these experimentally observed events. We compare the ability of the J2-plasticity theory, the “Arruda–Boyce” model, the “Hasan–Boyce” model, and the “Bergström–Boyce” model to reproduce the observed mechanical behavior of ultra-high molecular weight polyethylene (UHMWPE). In addition a new hybrid model is proposed, which incorporates many features of the previous theories. This hybrid model is shown to most effectively predict the experimentally observed mechanical behavior of UHMWPE.