A novel framework using point interpolation method with voxels for variational asymptotic method unit cell homogenization of woven composites

2018 ◽  
Vol 202 ◽  
pp. 261-274 ◽  
Author(s):  
Rajeev G. Nair ◽  
T. Sundararajan ◽  
P.J. Guruprasad
2013 ◽  
Author(s):  
Emily Yu ◽  
Lih-Sheng Turng

This work presents the application of the micromechanical variational asymptotic method for unit cell homogenization (VAMUCH) with a three-dimensional unit cell (UC) structure and a coupled, macroscale finite element analysis for analyzing and predicting the effective elastic properties of microcellular injection molded plastics. A series of injection molded plastic samples — which included polylactic acid (PLA), polypropylene (PP), polystyrene (PS), and thermoplastic polyurethane (TPU) — with microcellular foamed structures were produced and their mechanical properties were compared with predicted values. The results showed that for most material samples, the numerical prediction was in fairly good agreement with experimental results, which demonstrates the applicability and reliability of VAMUCH in analyzing the mechanical properties of porous materials. The study also found that material characteristics such as brittleness or ductility could influence the predicted results and that the VAMUCH prediction could be improved when the UC structure was more representative of the real composition.


Author(s):  
Liang Zhang ◽  
Wenbin Yu

The variational asymptotic method for unit cell homogenization (VAMUCH) is a unified micromechanical numerical method that is able to predict the effective properties of heterogeneous materials and to recover the microscopic stress/strain field. The objective of this paper is to incorporate elastoplastic material behaviors into the VAMUCH to predict the nonlinear macroscopic/microscopic response of elastoplastic heterogeneous materials. The constituents are assumed to exhibit various behaviors including elastic/plastic anisotropy, isotropic/kinematic hardening, and plastic non-normality. The constitutive relations for the constituents are derived and implemented into the theory of VAMUCH. This theory is implemented using the finite element method, and an engineering code, VAMUCH, is developed for the micromechanical analysiso of unit cells. The applicability, power, and accuracy of the theory and code of VAMUCH are validated using several examples including predicting the initial and subsequent yield surfaces, stress-strain curves, and stress-strain hysteresis loops of fiber reinforced composites. The VAMUCH code is also ready to be implemented into many more sophisticated user-defined material models.


2017 ◽  
Vol 27 (6) ◽  
pp. 1249-1265 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yijun Liu ◽  
Guiyong Zhang ◽  
Huan Lu ◽  
Zhi Zong

Purpose Due to the strong reliance on element quality, there exist some inherent shortcomings of the traditional finite element method (FEM). The model of FEM behaves overly stiff, and the solutions of automated generated linear elements are generally of poor accuracy about especially gradient results. The proposed cell-based smoothed point interpolation method (CS-PIM) aims to improve the results accuracy of the thermoelastic problems via properly softening the overly-stiff stiffness. Design/methodology/approach This novel approach is based on the newly developed G space and weakened weak (w2) formulation, and of which shape functions are created using the point interpolation method and the cell-based gradient smoothing operation is conducted based on the linear triangular background cells. Findings Owing to the property of softened stiffness, the present method can generally achieve better accuracy and higher convergence results (especially for the temperature gradient and thermal stress solutions) than the FEM does by using the simplest linear triangular background cells, which has been examined by extensive numerical studies. Practical implications The CS-PIM is capable of producing more accurate results of temperature gradients as well as thermal stresses with the automated generated and unstructured background cells, which make it a better candidate for solving practical thermoelastic problems. Originality/value It is the first time that the novel CS-PIM was further developed for solving thermoelastic problems, which shows its tremendous potential for practical implications.


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