Asymptotic Homogenization Method with fictitious multilayers applied to the mesoscale characterization of concrete beams

Resumo

The escalating complexity of engineering challenges necessitates the utilization of increasingly efficient materials, often met through the adoption of composite materials as a viable solution. Concrete stands out as one of the most prevalent composite materials in civil engineering, evolving through alterations in its constituent components as researchers pursue enhanced durability, workability, and sustainability. However, traditional theories treating concrete as a homogenous isotropic material prove inadequate for predicting the mechanical properties of these innovative concretes, primarily due to the excessive costs associated with experimental analyses. Consequently, this study introduces a high-order zig-zag multilayer theory incorporating the asymptotic homogenization method. The variational formulation of a unified beam kinematics was used to carry out a multiscale analysis through the asymptotic expansion of the unknown variables. This methodology facilitates the transformation of a beam composed of heterogeneous materials into an equivalent homogeneous. The findings of the formulation proposed agree with established numerical and experimental formulations documented in the literature, even when employing a one-dimensional beam theory.