Elastic Properties Prediction of Composite Materials Using Homogenization Finite Element Method

Based on the homogenization theory, this paper investigates the macroscopic equivalent properties of unidirectional composite materials using a representative volume element model with a typical micro-configuration. A micro-mechanical model of the composite material is constructed considering the periodic boundary conditions. Then the equivalent properties are obtained by the homogenization finite element method. The effectiveness and accuracy of the homogenization finite element method in predicting composite material properties are verified by comparing the predicted macroscopic equivalent properties with experimental values from the literature. Additionally, this paper compares the influences of fiber volume content, fiber arrangement, and mesh density on the macroscopic mechanical properties of the composite material. The results demonstrate that the homogenization method can achieve the correlation of macroscopic and microscopic mechanical properties, which is potentially promising for guiding the new materials development.