Modeling Method of C/C-ZrC Composites and Prediction of Equivalent Thermal Conductivity Tensor Based on Asymptotic Homogenization

This article proposes a modeling method for C/C-ZrC composite materials.According to the superposition of Gaussian random field,the original gray model is obtained,and the threshold segmentation method is used to generate the C-ZrC inclusion model.Finally,the fiber structure is added to construct the microstructure of the three-phase plain weave composite.The reconstructed inclusions can meet the randomness of the shape and have a uniform distribution.Using an algorithm based on asymptotic homogenization and finite element method,the equivalent thermal conductivity prediction of the microstructure finite element model was carried out,and the influence of component volume fraction on material thermal properties was explored.The sensitivity of model parameters was studied,including the size,mesh sensitivity,Gaussian complexity,and correlation length of the RVE model,and the optimal calculation model was selected.The results indicate that the volume fraction of the inclusion phase has a significant impact on the equivalent thermal conductivity of the material.As the volume fraction of carbon fiber and ZrC increases,the equivalent thermal conductivity tensor gradually decreases.This model can be used to explore the impact of materialmicrostructure on the results,and numerical simulations have studied the relationship between structure and performance,providing the possibility of designing microstructure based on performance.

A novel implementation algorithm of asymptotic homogenization for predicting the effective coefficient of thermal expansion of periodic composite materials

Asymptotic homogenization (AH) is a general method for predicting the effective coefficient of thermal expansion (CTE) of periodic composites. It has a rigorous mathematical foundation and can give an accurate solution if the macrostructure is large enough to comprise an infinite number of unit cells. In this paper, a novel implementation algorithm of asymptotic homogenization (NIAH) is developed to calculate the effective CTE of periodic composite materials. Compared with the previous implementation of AH, there are two obvious advantages. One is its implementation as simple as representative volume element (RVE). The new algorithm can be executed easily using commercial finite element analysis (FEA) software as a black box. The detailed process of the new implementation of AH has been provided. The other is that NIAH can simultaneously use more than one element type to discretize a unit cell, which can save much computational cost in predicting the CTE of a complex structure. Several examples are carried out to demonstrate the effectiveness of the new implementation. This work is expected to greatly promote the widespread use of AH in predicting the CTE of periodic composite materials.

Crack Propagation Path in Two-Directionally Graded Composites Subjected to Mixed-Mode Ⅰ+Ⅱ Loading

Crack propagation path in two-directionally graded composites was investigated by the finite element method.A graded extended finite element method(XFEM)was employed to calculate displacement and stress fields in cracked graded structures.And a post-processing subroutine of interaction energy integral was implemented to extract the mixed-mode stress intensity factors(SIFs).The maximum hoop stress(MHS)criterion was adopted to predict crack growth direction based on the assumption of local homogenization of asymptotic crack-tip fields in graded materials.Effects of material nonhomogeneous parameters on crack propagation paths were also discussed in detail.It is shown that the present method can provide relatively accurate predictions of crack paths in two-directionally graded composites.Crack propagates in the decreasing direction of effective Young′s modulus.The shape and steepness of property gradient perpendicular to the crack surface have great influences on crack paths.Through redesigning material property reasonably,crack growth in graded material can be changed to improve mechanical behaviours of cracked structures.

A novel stiffness prediction method with constructed microscopic displacement field for periodic beam-like structures

This paper presents a novel stiffness prediction method for periodic beam-like structures based on the two-scale equivalence at different strain states.The macroscopic fields are achieved within the framework of Timoshenko beam theory,while the microscopic fields are obtained by the newly constructed displacement form within the framework of three-dimensional(3D)elasticity theory.The new displacement form draws lessons from that in the asymptotic homogenization method(AHM),but the present field governing equations or boundary conditions for the first two order influence functions are constructed and very different from the way they were defined in the AHM.The constructed displacement form,composed of one homogenized and two warping terms,can accurately describe the deformation mode of beam-like structures.Then,with the new displacement form,the effective stiffness is achieved by the equivalence principle of macro-and microscopic fields.The finite element formulations of the proposed method are presented,which are easy to implement.Numerical examples validate that the present method can well predict both diagonal and coupling stiffness of periodic composite beams.