Novel implementation of homogenization method to predict effective properties of periodic materials

Representative volume element (RVE) method and asymptotic homogenization (AH) method are two widely used methods in predicting effective properties of periodic materials. This paper develops a novel implementation of the AH method, which has rigorous mathematical foundation of the AH method, and also simplicity as the RVE method. This implementation can be easily realized using commercial software as a black box, and can use all kinds of elements available in commercial software to model unit cells with rather complicated microstructures, so the model may remain a fairly small scale. Several examples were carried out to demonstrate the simplicity and effectiveness of the new implementation.     

A novel implementation algorithm of asymptotic homogenization for predicting the effective coefficient of thermal expansion of periodic composite materials

Asymptotic homogenization (AH) is a general method for predicting the effective coefficient of thermal expansion (CTE) of periodic composites. It has a rigorous mathematical foundation and can give an accurate solution if the macrostructure is large enough to comprise an infinite number of unit cells. In this paper, a novel implementation algorithm of asymptotic homogenization (NIAH) is devel-oped to calculate the effective CTE of periodic composite materials. Compared with the previous implementation of AH, there are two obvious advantages. One is its implemen-tation as simple as representative volume element (RVE). The new algorithm can be executed easily using commercial finite element analysis (FEA) software as a black box. The detailed process of the new implementation of AH has been provided. The other is that NIAH can simultaneously use more than one element type to discretize a unit cell, which can save much computational cost in predicting the CTE of a complex structure. Several examples are carried out to demonstrate the effectiveness of the new implementation. This work is expected to greatly promote the widespread use of AH in predicting the CTE of periodic composite materials.     

An analytical and numerical approach for calculating effective material coefficients of piezoelectric fiber composites

The present work deals with the modeling of 1–3 periodic composites made of piezoceramic (PZT) fibers embedded in a soft non-piezoelectric matrix (polymer). We especially focus on predicting the effective coefficients of periodic transversely isotropic piezoelectric fiber composites using representative volume element method (unit cell method). In this paper the focus is on square arrangements of cylindrical fibers in the composite. Two ways for calculating the effective coefficients are presented, an analytical and a numerical approach. The analytical solution is based on the asymptotic homogenization method (AHM) and for the numerical approach the finite element method (FEM) is used. Special attention is given on definition of appropriate boundary conditions for the unit cell to ensure periodicity. With the two introduced methods the effective coefficients were calculated for different fiber volume fractions. Finally the results are compared and discussed.     

Variational asymptotic method for unit cell homogenization of periodically heterogeneous materials

A new micromechanics model, namely, the variational asymptotic method for unit cell homogenization (VAMUCH), is developed to predict the effective properties of periodically heterogeneous materials and recover the local fields. Considering the periodicity as a small parameter, we can formulate a variational statement of the unit cell through an asymptotic expansion of the energy functional. It is shown that the governing differential equations and periodic boundary conditions of mathematical homogenization theories (MHT) can be reproduced from this variational statement. In comparison to other approaches, VAMUCH does not rely on ad hoc assumptions, has the same rigor as MHT, has a straightforward numerical implementation, and can calculate the complete set of properties simultaneously without using multiple loadings. This theory is implemented using the finite element method and an engineering program, VAMUCH, is developed for micromechanical analysis of unit cells. Many examples of binary composites, fiber reinforced composites, and particle reinforced composites are used to demonstrate the application, power, and accuracy of the theory and the code of VAMUCH.     

Asymptotic analysis of laminated plates and shallow shells

It was noted long ago [1] that the material strength theory develops both by improving computational methods and by widening the physical foundations. In the present paper, we develop a computational technique based on asymptotic methods, first of all, on the homogenization method [2, 3]. A modification of the homogenization method for plates periodic in the horizontal projection was proposed in [4], where the bending of a homogeneous plate with periodically repeating inhomogeneities on its surface was studied. A more detailed asymptotic analysis of elastic plates periodic in the horizontal projection can be found, e.g., in [5, 6]. In [6], three asymptotic approximations were considered, local problems on the periodicity cell were obtained for them, and the solvability of these problems was proved. In [7], it was shown that the techniques developed for plates periodic in the horizontal projection can also be used for laminated plates. In [7], this was illustrated by an example of asymptotic analysis of an isotropic plate symmetric with respect to the midplane.     

一维周期性梁结构等效性能计算方法讨论

具有轴向周期微结构的复合梁结构,通常在宏观上简化为一维欧拉-伯努利梁。由于缺乏基于严格数学理论、同时考虑降维及均匀化的等效性能计算方法,已有研究或采用基于平截面假定的弯曲能量近似方法,或采用基于三维周期性介质等效性质的方法。本文首先介绍了基于一维周期性梁的渐近均匀化理论求解新方法,并在此基础上与上述两种方法进行比较。结果表明,基于平截面假定的近似方法忽视了这类梁结构内的三维应力状态,过高地估计了梁的等效性质。     

Asymptotic analysis of perforated plates and membranes. Part 2: Static and dynamic problems for large holes

Static and dynamic problems for the elastic plates and membranes periodically perforated by holes of different shapes are solved using the combination of the singular perturbation technique and the multi-scale asymptotic homogenization method. The problems of bending and vibration of perforated plates are considered. Using the asymptotic homogenization method the original boundary-value problems are reduced to the combination of two types of problems. First one is a recurrent system of unit cell problems with the conditions of periodic continuation. And the second problem is a homogenized boundary-value problem for the entire domain, characterized by the constant effective coefficients obtained from the solution of the unit cell problems. In the present paper the perforated plates with large holes are considered, and the singular perturbation method is used to solve the pertinent unit cell problems. Matching of limiting solutions for small and large holes using the two-point Padé approximants is also accomplished, and the analytical expressions for the effective stiffnesses of perforated plates with holes of arbitrary sizes are obtained.     

Micromechanical analysis of fibrous piezoelectric composites with imperfectly bonded adherence

In this work, two-phase parallel fiber-reinforced periodic piezoelectric composites are considered wherein the constituents exhibit transverse isotropy and the cells have different configurations. Mechanical imperfect contact at the interface of the piezoelectric composites is studied via linear spring model. The statement of the problem for two-phase piezoelectric composites with mechanical imperfect contact is given. The local problems are formulated by means of the asymptotic homogenization method, and their solutions are found using complex variable theory. Analytical formulae are obtained for the effective properties of the composites with spring imperfect type of contact and different rhombic cells. Using the concept of a representative volume element (RVE), a finite element model is created, which combines the angular distribution of fibers and imperfect contact conditions (spring type) between the phases. Periodic boundary conditions are applied to the RVE, so that effective material properties can be derived. The fibers are distributed in such a way that the microstructure is characterized by a rhombic cell. The presented numerical homogenization technique is validated by comparing results with theoretical approach reported in the literature. Some studies of particular cases, numerical examples, and comparisons between the two aforementioned methods with other theoretical results illustrate that the model is efficient for the analysis of composites with presence of rhombic cells and the aforementioned imperfect contact.     

Homogenization methods to approximate the effective response of random fibre-reinforced Composites

In this article a fibre-reinforced composite material is modelled via an approach employing a representative volume element with periodic boundary conditions. The effective elastic moduli of the material are thus derived. In particular, the method of asymptotic homogenization is used where a finite number of fibres are randomly distributed within the representative periodic cell. The study focuses on the efficacy of such an approach in representing a macroscopically random (hence transversely isotropic) material. Of particular importance is the sensitivity of the method to cell shape, and how this choice affects the resulting (configurationally averaged) elastic moduli. The averaging method is shown to yield results that lie within the Hashin–Shtrikman variational bounds for fibre-reinforced media and compares well with the multiple scattering and (classical) self-consistent approximations with a deviation from the latter in the larger volume fraction cases. Results also compare favourably with well-known experimental data from the literature.     

Numerical evaluation of the equivalent properties of Macro Fiber Composite (MFC) transducers using periodic homogenization

This paper focuses on the evaluation of the homogeneous properties of the active layer in Macro Fiber Composite (MFC) transducers using finite element periodic homogenization. The proposed method is applied to both d₃₁ and d₃₃-MFCs and the results are compared to previously published analytical mixing rules, showing a good agreement. The main advantages of the finite element homogenization is the possibility to take into account local details in the representative volume element such as complicated electrode patterns or local variations of the poling direction due to curved electric field lines. Although these influences have been found to be rather small in the present study, the method presented is useful for a better understanding of the behavior of piezocomposite transducers.