A Numerical Scheme for Anisotropic Reactive Nonlinear Viscoelasticity

Reactive viscoelasticity is a theoretical framework based on the theory of reactive constrained mixtures that encompasses nonlinear viscoelastic responses. It models a viscoelastic solid as a mixture of strong and weak bonds that maintain the cohesiveness of the molecular constituents of the solid matter. Strong bonds impart the elastic response while weak bonds break and reform into a stress-free state in response to loading. The process of bonds breaking and reforming is modeled as a reaction where loaded bonds are the reactants and bonds reformed into a stress-free state are the products of a reaction. The reaction is triggered by the evolving state of loading. The state of stress in strong bonds is a function of the total strain in the material, whereas the state of stress in weak bonds is based on the state of strain relative to the time that these bonds were reformed. This study introduces two important practical contributions to the reactive nonlinear viscoelasticity framework: (1) normally, the evaluation of the stress tensor involves taking a summation over a continually increasing number of weak bond generations, which is poorly suited for a computational scheme. Therefore, this study presents an effective numerical scheme for evaluating the strain energy density, the Cauchy stress, and spatial elasticity tensors of reactive viscoelastic materials. (2) We provide the conditions for satisfying frame indifference for anisotropic nonlinear viscoelasticity, including for tension-bearing fiber models. Code verifications and model validations against experimental data provide evidence in support of this updated formulation.