Shear Plasticity Behavior
The shear plasticity model of the matrix is formulated in the local directions of the bidirectional fabric-reinforced material and is assumed to be decoupled from the response along the local 1 and 2 fiber directions. The following elastic relation gives the in-plane shear stress in terms of the elastic shear strain, εel12 :
where G12 is the shear modulus of the matrix, ε12 is the total shear strain, and εpl12 is the plastic shear strain.
The yield surface and flow rule are defined as:
where ˉσ is the yield stress, ˉεpl is the equivalent plastic strain, and ˙ˉεpl is the equivalent plastic strain rate.
The hardening behavior and strain rate dependency are incorporated into the yield stress ˉσ assuming this separable form:
where σ0 is the static yield stress, and R is a ratio, defined as R=1.0 at ˙ˉεpl=0.0 .
The hardening behavior defines the evolution of the yield surface size, σ0 , as a function of the equivalent plastic strain, ˉεpl . This evolution can be introduced by specifying σ0 directly as a function of ˉεpl in tabular form or by using the Johnson-Cook law:
where σ|0 is the yield stress at zero plastic strain and C and n are material parameters. A schematic figure of the hardening curve based on the Johnson-Cook law is shown in Figure 1.

You can specify rate-dependent effects using the Cowper-Symonds overstress power law form or the Johnson-Cook form. For more information on these methods, see Rate-Dependent Yield.
Input File Usage
Use the following option to define Johnson-Cook hardening behavior:
PLY FABRIC HARDENING, TYPE=JOHNSON COOK (default)
Use the following option to define the hardening behavior by giving the yield stress as a function of the yield strain:
PLY FABRIC HARDENING, TYPE=TABULAR
Use both of the following options to specify rate-dependent effects:
PLY FABRIC HARDENING (to specify the static yield stress σ0(ˉεpl)) RATE DEPENDENT (to specify the ratio R(˙ˉεpl))