Modeling of curing processes based on a multi-field potential. Single- and multiscale aspects

This paper provides a continuum mechanical model for the curing of polymers, including the incompressibility effects arising at the late stages of the process. For this purpose, the free energy density functional is split into a deviatoric and a volumetric part, and a multifield formulation is inserted. An integral formulation of the functional is used to depict the time-dependent material behavior. The model is also coupled with the multiscale finite element method, a numerical approach serving for the modeling of heterogeneous materials with a highly oscillatory microstructure. The effects of the proposed extensions are illustrated on the basis of several numerical examples concerned with the study of the influence of Poisson's ratio on the curing process and the behavior of the microheterogeneous polymers. (C) 2012 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.