AN ANISOTROPIC ELASTOPLASTIC MODEL-BASED ON AN ISOTROPIC FORMULATION

This paper shows a generalization of the classic isotropic plasticity theory to be applied to orthotropic or anisotropic materials. This app roach assumes the existence of a real anisotropic space, and other fic titious isotropic space where a mapped fictitious problem is solved. B oth spaces are related by means of a linear transformation using a fou rth order transformation tenser that contains all the information conc erning the real anisotropic material, The paper describes the basis of the spaces transformation proposed and the expressions of the resulti ng secant and tangent constitutive equations. Also details of the nume rical integration of the constitutive equation are provided. Examples of application showing the good performance of the model for analysis of orthotropic materials and fibre-reinforced composites are given.