Computational method for excluding fibers under compression in modeling soft fibrous solids

Soft fibrous solids often consist of a matrix reinforced by fibers that render the material anisotropic. Recently a fiber dispersion model was proposed on the basis of a weighted strain-energy function using an angular integration approach for both planar and three-dimensional fiber dispersions (G.A. Holzapfel and R.W. Ogden: Eur. J. Mech. A/Solids, 49 (2015) 561–569). This model allows the exclusion of fibers under compression. In the present study computational aspects of the model are documented. In particular, we provide expressions for the elasticity tensor and the integration boundary that admits only fibers which are extended. In addition, we give a brief description of the finite element implementation for both 2D and 3D models which make use of the von Mises distribution to describe the dispersion of the fibers. The performance and the finite element implementations of the 2D and 3D fiber dispersion models are illustrated by means of uniaxial extension in the mean fiber direction and more general directions, and simple shear with different mean fiber directions. The finite element results are in perfect agreement with the solutions computed from analytical formulas.