VIRTUAL MODEL GENERATION OF REPRESENTATIVE VOLUME ELEMENT FOR UNIDIRECTIONAL COMPOSITE

Abstract

Composite materials are widely used in different industries because of their unique characteristics that can be adapted depending on the application. Prediction of mechanical properties before the production process enables time-saving and optimization of geometry and materials. The purpose of this paper is to show the steps in virtual modeling of the elementary unit of the unidirectional composite. The first step is the computer generation of the virtual domain that needs to geometrically match the experimental sample. After that, the mesh of finite elements must be defined, and apply algorithms for periodic border conditions. The next step is setting the boundary conditions and forces. After obtaining contour plots (homogenization method) mechanical characteristics and effective elastic constants of the composite can be predicted. Thanks to the implementation of the finite element method in the ABAQUS program, it is possible to predict the mechanical characteristics of the composite depending on the variation of different parameters of the composite.