Overall effective elastic properties of composites by computational homogenization

Resumo

In composite materials the combination of different constituents promotes heterogeneity and specific
properties. Therefore, the constitutive behavior of a composite can be complex. In this context, the present work

explores a computational homogenization procedure to predict the overall or macroscopic effective elastic proper-
ties accounting for characteristics of the constituents at microscale. The microstructure of the material is modeled

using the concept of Representative Volume Element (RVE). Both uniform strain or periodic boundary condition

are applied on the RVE to compare the results. The effective elastic properties are then obtained from homoge-
nization of the microscopic fields computed with three-dimensional numerical simulations by finite elements. The

macroscopic constitutive properties obtained numerically are then compared to available results. The results show
a strong influence of the boundary condition on the effective elastic properties. On the other hand, the inclusion
morphology has no significant influence on the results. Furthermore, the procedure hereby described is an effective
tool to the more realistic modeling of the macroscopic constitutive behavior of composites materials.