An Eulerian model for orthotropic elasticity and inelasticity applied to injection-moulded low-density polyethylene

Anisotropic elasticity and inelasticity is of relevance in many practical applications. The Eulerian formulation for anisotropic elastic and inelastic response based on microstructural vectors is used here to model an injection-moulded low-density polyethylene. In contrast with Lagrangian models of inelasticity, the Eulerian formulation is insensitive to arbitrariness of the reference and intermediate configurations as well as to measures of total and inelastic deformations. A specific strain-space-type anisotropic yield function is proposed that depends on anisotropic measures of elastic deformation and anisotropic hardening variables. Use is also made of a rate-independent model with a smooth elastic–inelastic transition. The material parameters were calibrated to reproduce uniaxial test data for loading in three directions in the moulding plane. In addition, a strongly objective numerical implementation is presented and used to simulate stretching of a plate with a circular hole. In contrast with metals, this polyethylene experiences elastic deformations of about 10%. Although the inelastic spin rate could not be determined by the available test data, simulations of loadings in different material directions yield observable influences of inelastic spin rate.