Piezomaterials for bone regeneration design—homogenization approach

Relying on the piezoelectric properties of natural bone we propose a new biomaterial made of an inert perforated piezoelectric matrix filled with living osteoblast cells. We expect that this device will help the process of bone regeneration. In this paper we give some conceptual and numerical tools based on homogenization theory as a starting point in the design of such a “smart system”.     

A homogenization theory of strain gradient single crystal plasticity and its finite element discretization

In this study, a homogenization theory based on the Gurtin strain gradient formulation and its finite element discretization are developed for investigating the size effects on macroscopic responses of periodic materials. To derive the homogenization equations consisting of the relation of macroscopic stress, the weak form of stress balance, and the weak form of microforce balance, the Y-periodicity is used as additional, as well as standard, boundary conditions at the boundary of a unit cell. Then, by applying a tangent modulus method, a set of finite element equations is obtained from the homogenization equations. The computational stability and efficiency of this finite element discretization are verified by analyzing a model composite. Furthermore, a model polycrystal is analyzed for investigating the grain size dependence of polycrystal plasticity. In this analysis, the micro-clamped, micro-free, and defect-free conditions are considered as the additional boundary conditions at grain boundaries, and their effects are discussed.     

On the homogenization of metal matrix composites using strain gradient plasticity

The homogenized response of metal matrix composites（MMC） is studied using strain gradient plasticity.The material model employed is a rate independent formulation of energetic strain gradient plasticity at the micro scale and conventional rate independent plasticity at the macro scale. Free energy inside the micro structure is included due to the elastic strains and plastic strain gradients. A unit cell containing a circular elastic fiber is analyzed under macroscopic simple shear in addition to transverse and longitudinal loading. The analyses are carried out under generalized plane strain condition. Micro-macro homogenization is performed observing the Hill-Mandel energy condition,and overall loading is considered such that the homogenized higher order terms vanish. The results highlight the intrinsic size-effects as well as the effect of fiber volume fraction on the overall response curves, plastic strain distributions and homogenized yield surfaces under different loading conditions. It is concluded that composites with smaller reinforcement size have larger initial yield surfaces and furthermore,they exhibit more kinematic hardening.     

A second gradient theoretical framework for hierarchical multiscale modeling of materials

A theoretical framework for the hierarchical multiscale modeling of inelastic response of heterogeneous materials is presented. Within this multiscale framework, the second gradient is used as a nonlocal kinematic link between the response of a material point at the coarse scale and the response of a neighborhood of material points at the fine scale. Kinematic consistency between these scales results in specific requirements for constraints on the fluctuation field. The wryness tensor serves as a second-order measure of strain. The nature of the second-order strain induces anti-symmetry in the first-order stress at the coarse scale. The multiscale internal state variable (ISV) constitutive theory is couched in the coarse scale intermediate configuration, from which an important new concept in scale transitions emerges, namely scale invariance of dissipation. Finally, a strategy for developing meaningful kinematic ISVs and the proper free energy functions and evolution kinetics is presented.     

均匀化方法在粘弹性多层复合材料中的应用

主要研究了由各向同性线弹性加强体和各向同性线粘弹性基体组成的多层复合材料的问题,在已有的线弹性多层材料的均匀化方法的基础上,应用弹性一粘弹性对应原理,在Carson域中求解粘弹性多层材料的问题。通过Burgers模型表示线粘弹性基体材料,反演得到了多层材料的有效松弛模量和有效泊松比在时间域中的表达式,并且与实验结果和其他结果进行了比较。     

A homogenization theory for elastic-viscoplastic materials with misaligned internal structures

In this study, a homogenization theory for non-linear time-dependent materials is rebuilt for periodic elastic-viscoplastic materials with misaligned internal structures, by employing a unit cell defined for the aligned structure as an analysis domain. For this, it is shown that the perturbed velocity fields in such materials possess periodicity in the directions of misaligned unit cell arrangement. This periodicity is used as a novel boundary condition for unit cell analysis to rebuild the homogenization theory. The resulting theory is able to deal with arbitrary misalignment using the same unit cell, avoiding not only geometry and mesh generation of a unit cell for every misalignment, but also the influence of mesh dependence. To verify the theory, an elastic-viscoplastic analysis of plain-woven glass fiber/epoxy laminates with misaligned internal structures is performed. It is shown that the misalignment of internal structures affects viscoplastic properties of the plain-woven laminates both macroscopically and microscopically.     

Multiscale asymptotic homogenization for multiphysics problems with multiple spatial and temporal scales: a coupled thermo-viscoelastic example problem

A systematic approach for analyzing multiple physical processes interacting at multiple spatial and temporal scales is developed. The proposed computational framework is applied to the coupled thermo-viscoelastic composites with microscopically periodic mechanical and thermal properties. A rapidly varying spatial and temporal scales are introduced to capture the effects of spatial and temporal fluctuations induced by spatial heterogeneities at diverse time scales. The initial-boundary value problem on the macroscale is derived by using the double scale asymptotic analysis in space and time. It is shown that an extra history-dependent long-term memory term introduced by the homogenization process in space and time can be obtained by solving a first order initial value problem. This is in contrast to the long-term memory term obtained by the classical spatial homogenization, which requires solutions of the initial-boundary value problem in the unit cell domain. The validity limits of the proposed spatial–temporal homogenized solution are established. Numerical example shows a good agreement between the proposed model and the reference solution obtained by using a finite element mesh with element size comparable to that of material heterogeneity.     

A continuum model for deformable,second gradient porous media partially saturated with compressible fluids

In this paper a general set of equations of motion and duality conditions to be imposed at macroscopic surfaces of discontinuity in partially saturated, solid-second gradient porous media are derived by means of the Least Action Principle. The need of using a second gradient (of solid displacement) theory is shown to be necessary to include in the model effects related to gradients of porosity. The proposed governing equations include, in addition to balance of linear momentum for a second gradient porous continuum and to balance of water and air chemical potentials, the equations describing the evolution of solid and fluid volume fractions as supplementary independent kinematical fields. The presented equations are general in the sense that they are all written in terms of a macroscopic potential Ψ$\Psi$ which depends on the introduced kinematical fields and on their space and time derivatives. These equations are suitable to describe the motion of a partially saturated, second gradient porous medium in the elastic and hyper-elastic regime. In the second part of the paper an additive decomposition for the potential Ψ$\Psi$ is proposed which allows for describing some particular constitutive behaviors of the considered medium. While the potential associated to the solid matrix deformation is chosen in the form proposed by Cowin and Nunziato (1981) and Nunziato and Cowin (1979) and the potentials associated to water and air compressibility are chosen to assume a simple quadratic form, the macroscopic potentials associated to capillarity phenomena between water and air have to be derived with some additional considerations. In particular, two simple examples of microscopic distributions of water and air are considered: that of spherical bubbles and that of coalesced tubes of bubbles. Both these cases are suitable to describe capillarity phenomena in porous media which are close to the saturation state. Finally, an example of a simple microscopic distribution of water and air giving rise to a macroscopic capillary potential depending on the second gradient of fluid displacement is presented, showing the need of a further generalization of the proposed theoretical framework accounting for fluid second gradient effects.     

Design optimization of truss-cored sandwiches with homogenization

Lightweight metallic sandwich plates comprising periodic truss cores and solid facesheets are optimally designed against minimum weights. Constitutive models of the truss core are developed using homogenization techniques which, together with effective single-layer sandwich approaches, form the basis of a two-dimensional (2D) single-layer sandwich model. The 2D model is employed to simulate the mechanical behaviors of truss-cored sandwich panels having a variety of core topologies. The types of loading considered include bending, transverse shear and in-plane compression. The validities of the 2D model predictions are checked against direct FE simulations on three-dimensional (3D) truss core sandwich structures. Optimizations using the 2D sandwich model are subsequently performed to determine the minimum weights of truss-cored sandwiches subjected to various failure constraints: overall and local buckling, yielding and facesheet wrinkling. The performances of the optimized truss core sandwiches with 4-rod unit cell and solid truss members and pyramidal unit cell with hollow truss members are compared with benchmark lightweight structures such as honeycomb-cored sandwiches, tetrahedral core sandwiches and hat-stiffened single layer plates.     

Second strain gradient elasticity of nano-objects

Mindlin's second strain gradient continuum theory for isotropic linear elastic materials is used to model two different kinds of size-dependent surface effects observed in the mechanical behaviour of nano-objects. First, the existence of an initial higher order stress represented by Mindlin's cohesion parameter, b₀, makes it possible to account for the relaxation behaviour of traction-free surfaces. Second, the higher order elastic moduli, c_i, coupling the strain tensor and its second gradient are shown to significantly affect the apparent elastic properties of nano-beams and nano-films under uni-axial loading. These two effects are independent from each other and allow for separated identification of the corresponding material parameters. Analytical results are provided for the size-dependent apparent shear modulus of a nano-thin strip under shear. Finite element simulations are then performed to derive the dependence of the apparent Young modulus and Poisson ratio of nano-films with respect to their thickness, and to illustrate hole free surface relaxation in a periodic nano-porous material.     

Acoustic cloaking: Geometric transform,homogenization and a genetic algorithm

A general process is proposed to experimentally design anisotropic inhomogeneous metamaterials obtained through a change of coordinates in the Helmholtz equation. The method is applied to the case of a cylindrical transformation that allows cloaking to be performed. To approximate such complex metamaterials we apply results of the theory of homogenization and combine them with a genetic algorithm. To illustrate the power of our approach, we design three types of cloaks composed of isotropic concentric layers structured with three types of perforations: curved rectangles, split rings and crosses. These cloaks have parameters compatible with existing technology and they mimic the behavior of the transformed material. Numerical simulations have been performed to qualitatively and quantitatively study the cloaking efficiency of these metamaterials.     

Effective elastic moduli of two dimensional solids with distributed cohesive microcracks

Effective elastic properties of a defected solid with distributed cohesive micro-cracks are estimated based on homogenization of the Dugdale–Bilby–Cottrell–Swinden (Dugdale–BCS) type micro-cracks in a two dimensional elastic representative volume element (RVE).Since the cohesive micro-crack model mimics various realistic bond forces at micro-scale, a statistical average of cohesive defects can effectively represent the overall properties of the material due to bond breaking or crack surface separation in small scale. The newly proposed model is distinctive in the fact that the resulting effective moduli are found to be pressure sensitive.     

Micromechanics of particle-reinforced elasto-viscoplastic composites: Finite element simulations versus affine homogenization

The micromechanics of elasto-viscoplastic composites made up of a random and homogeneous dispersion of spherical inclusions in a continuous matrix was studied with two methods. The first one is an affine homogenization approach, which transforms the local constitutive laws into fictitious linear thermo-elastic relations in the Laplace–Carson domain so that corresponding homogenization schemes can apply, and the temporal response is computed after a numerical inversion of Laplace transform. The second method is the direct numerical simulation by finite elements of a three-dimensional representative volume element of the composite microstructure. The numerical simulations carried out over different realizations of the composite microstructure showed very little scatter and thus provided – for the first time – “exact” results in the elasto-viscoplastic regime that can be used as benchmarks to check the accuracy of other models. Overall, the predictions of the affine homogenization model were excellent, regardless of the volume fraction of spheres, of the loading paths (shear, uniaxial tension and biaxial tension as well as monotonic and cyclic deformation), particularly at low strain rates. It was found, however, that the accuracy decreased systematically as the strain rate increased. The detailed information of the stress and strain microfields given by the finite element simulations was used to analyze the source of this difference, so that better homogenization methods can be developed.     

Wave propagation analysis in 2D nonlinear hexagonal periodic networks based on second order gradient nonlinear constitutive models

We analyze the propagation of nonlinear waves in homogenized periodic nonlinear hexagonal networks, considering successively 1D and 2D situations. Wave analysis is performed on the basis of the construction of the effective strain energy density of periodic hexagonal lattices in the nonlinear regime. The obtained second order gradient nonlinear continuum has two propagation modes: an evanescent subsonic mode that disappears after a certain wavenumber and a supersonic mode characterized by an increase of the frequency with the wavenumber. For a weak nonlinearity, a supersonic mode occurs and the dispersion curves lie above the linear dispersion curve (v_p =v_p0). For a higher nonlinearity, the wave changes from a supersonic to an evanescent subsonic mode at s=0.7 and the dispersion curves drops below the linear case and vanish for certain values of the wavenumber. An important decrease in the frequency occurs for both subsonic and supersonic modes when the lattice becomes auxetic, and the longitudinal and shear modes become very close to each other. The influence of the lattice geometrical parameters of the lattice on the dispersion relations is analyzed.     

A consistent nonlocal scheme based on filters for the homogenization of heterogeneous linear materials with non-separated scales

In this work, the question of homogenizing linear elastic, heterogeneous materials with periodic microstructures in the case of non-separated scales is addressed. A framework if proposed, where the notion of mesoscopic strain and stress fields are defined by appropriate integral operators which act as low-pass filters on the fine scale fluctuations. The present theory extends the classical linear homogenization by substituting averaging operators by integral operators, and localization tensors by nonlocal operators involving appropriate Green functions. As a result, the obtained constitutive relationship at the mesoscale appears to be nonlocal. Compared to nonlocal elastic models introduced from a phenomenological point of view, the nonlocal behavior has been fully derived from the study of the microstructure. A discrete version of the theory is presented, where the mesoscopic strain field is approximated as a linear combination of basis functions. It allows computing the mesoscopic nonlocal operator by means of a finite number of transformation tensors, which can be computed numerically on the unit cell.     

Spontaneous bending of piezoelectric nanoribbons: Mechanics, polarization, and space charge coupling

A theory is developed to explain the spontaneous bending of polar faceted wurtzite nanoribbons, including the widely studied case of zinc oxide (ZnO) nanoarcs and nanorings. A rigorous thermodynamic treatment shows that bending of these nanoribbons can be primarily attributed to the coupling between piezoelectric effects, electric polarization, and the motion of free charge originating from point defects and/or dopants. The present theory explains the following experimental observations: the magnitude and sign of curvature and how this curvature depends on film thickness and dopant concentration. Good agreement between theory and experiment is obtained with no adjustable parameters. We identify three regimes of bending behavior with distinct thickness dependence for bending radius that depend on free carrier density, film thickness, and elastic, piezoelectric and dielectric constants.     

Numerical simulation of elasto-plastic deformation of composites: evolution of stress microfields and implications for homogenization models

The deformation of a composite made up of a random and homogeneous dispersion of elastic spheres in an elasto-plastic matrix was simulated by the finite element analysis of three-dimensional multiparticle cubic cells with periodic boundary conditions. “Exact” results (to a few percent) in tension and shear were determined by averaging 12 stress-strain curves obtained from cells containing 30 spheres, and they were compared with the predictions of secant homogenization models. In addition, the numerical simulations supplied detailed information of the stress microfields, which was used to ascertain the accuracy and the limitations of the homogenization models to include the nonlinear deformation of the matrix. It was found that secant approximations based on the volume-averaged second-order moment of the matrix stress tensor, combined with a highly accurate linear homogenization model, provided excellent predictions of the composite response when the matrix strain hardening rate was high. This was not the case, however, in composites which exhibited marked plastic strain localization in the matrix. The analysis of the evolution of the matrix stresses revealed that better predictions of the composite behavior can be obtained with new homogenization models which capture the essential differences in the stress carried by the elastic and plastic regions in the matrix at the onset of plastic deformation.     

Stress gradient versus strain gradient constitutive models within elasticity

A stress gradient elasticity theory is developed which is based on the Eringen method to address nonlocal elasticity by means of differential equations. By suitable thermodynamics arguments (involving the free enthalpy instead of the free internal energy), the restrictions on the related constitutive equations are determined, which include the well-known Eringen stress gradient constitutive equations, as well as the associated (so far uncertain) boundary conditions. The proposed theory exhibits complementary characters with respect to the analogous strain gradient elasticity theory. The associated boundary-value problem is shown to admit a unique solution characterized by a Hellinger–Reissner type variational principle. The main differences between the Eringen stress gradient model and the concomitant Aifantis strain gradient model are pointed out. A rigorous formulation of the stress gradient Euler–Bernoulli beam is provided; the response of this beam model is discussed as for its sensitivity to the stress gradient effects and compared with the analogous strain gradient beam model.