On the minimum size of representative volume element: An experimental investigation

In this paper, the minimum size of the representative volume element (RVE) of a heterogeneous material is determined experimentally using the digital image correlation technique. Experiments of uniaxial compression and thermal expansion were conducted on PBS 9501, a high explosive simulant material. The minimum size of the RVE of the PBS 9501 heterogeneous material, where the average crystal diameter of the material is of the order of 100 μm, was determined to be approximately 1.5 mm. This result is consistent with numerical calculations on polycrystalline materials and some other composites.