Effective Properties of New

Materials from
Homogenization Technique
Homogenization Procedure
Separation of scales
Representative Volume
X (m) 0(x), 0 (x), Macroscopic loading

L (m)

X (m) the macroscale coordinate system

0, 0
Y (mm) the macroscale coordinate system

Y <<< X

0(x), 0 (x), Average macroscopic field values in the

vicinity of RVE Assume uniform
Y(mm)
Equilibrium of the RVE
(y), (y), Microscopic fields in side RVE pointwise
vary
Governing field equations at any point inside RVE
0, 0 . = 0 . T= 0
1
= +
2
Which satisfies 1 is statically admissible
Which satisfies 2 is kinematically admissible
,
Microscopic constitutive relationship
= Local elasticity tensor

Y(mm)
Coupling the scales: Volume averages
Let us assume the macroscopic strains and stresses are equal to the
volume average of the fields inside the RVE
1 1
0 = 0 =

Hill Mandel macrohomogeneity condition

Hill (1967) - the volume averaged strain energy density is equal to
which calculated using the averaged values.
X and Y scales should be well separated
statically admissible stress field and kinematically admissible strain
fields
1
= : = : = 0 : 0

Boundary conditions

Above equations lack boundary conditions that define the fields.

Three BCs have been proposed which satisfy the eqs.
Uniform stresses on : .n = 0 .
Uniform strains on : u = 0 .
Periodic BCs
Uniform stress and uniform strain BCs are not equivalent and can
only be applied when UC is much larger than the
microheterogeneities.
If microstructure is periodic, periodic BCs could be applied
Periodic BCs
If microstructure is periodic and periodically oscillate (away
from macroscopic boundaries)
Assume the vectors and tensors at the microlevel of a material which
is either locally or globally periodic vary periodically from each UC to
the other
= 0 + from which = 0 +
= 0 +
* - indicate the oscillation around the mean.
and disappear upon taking the average of and
= 0
= 0
Therefore, it could be seen that periodic BCs satisfy the Hills
condition.
Implementation of PBC

Assume an uniform macroscopic strain field in the vicinity of the

RVE.
0
Microscopic displacement () = +
At the boundaries
0 1
( 1 ) = +
0 2
( 2 ) = +

0
2 ( 1 ) =
y1 y2

Y1

Y2
Homogenization procedure
Start Identify RVE/UC

Define PBC on the

RVE boundaries

Prescribe

Solve the BVP over

the RVE (,)

1
Macroscopic stress vs
Calculate = strain

E,G,
Implementation of FEM to solve BVP
Displacement based FEM could be used to solve the BVP as the
displacements of the boundaries have been prescribed
Additional BCs
Restrain one point in all DOFs to prohibit rigid body displacements.
0
The BVP has additional DOFs = . These are macroscopic DOF.

Therefore, + = A
Commercial FEM codes have the ability implement these as Linear
Constrain Equations
A is implemented by master-slave constraint elimination method.

In the FE formulation =
If the unconstrained DOFs of are denoted by uu, master DOFs by um and slave
DOFs by us, above equation could be written as,
us = um + g
This eliminates us from
Calculation of effective properties
The stiffness matrix of the RVE after slave DOFs are eliminated reads.

This is solved by the FE solver and microscopic field values are

obtained at integration points.
From which effective (uniform) Cauchy stress tensor over the RVE can
be obtained.

1 1
= =

=1

Where Ni is the number of integration points in the model.

Effective mechanical properties

Subscribing macroscopic strain on RVE, effective stress

of the
RVE are found
With appropriate choice of , components of may be found by
0
=
Or with appropriate choice of engineering properties could be
found by,

= (No summation)


=

=

Implementing in Abaqus

PBC given by displacement difference equations on periodic points on

parallel surface.
Any RVE or UC analysed require to have identical node layout at parallel
surfaces (periodic mesh)
Manual or structured meshing could generate such meshes. For other
automatic methods, periodic mesh is not guaranteed.
Provided there is a meshed model with periodic mesh, an Abaqus Script was
written to implement the displacement difference BCs on all nodes on the
boundaries of the model.
0
The script inquire the user to input the macroscopic ( ) loading under
which the RVE is to be analysed.

With loading prescribed + = is implemented on all nodes on
parallel faces.
Could only implement PBCs on 2D rectangular or 3D rectangular cuboid
RVEs.
Developing code using 2D models

2D FE models of perforated plates were created with periodic

meshes at the boundaries.
Homogenization code was run to implement PBCs and .
The resulting microscopic deformed shapes and stress pattern were
used to validate the periodicity of the results.
Effective E, and G were calculated and compared with experimental
values to validate the result, hence the homogenization scheme
Perforated plate analysis

Unit cell

Straight (S) layout Staggered (H) layout

Unit cell
Orthotropic Transversely isotropic

=

2 2
= 1 = 1
4 4
 Plane stress thickness 2mm
Element CPS4
Material AlCuMg1
Elasto-plastic
PBC on parallel edges
 But PBCs on vertices where two edges meet have their DOF already
eliminated by PBCs on one edge.
 But by considering diagonal vertices, previous BCs could be reduced
at vertices to

The macroscopic DOFs are implemented by creating virtual nodes
M and N, not connected to any elements in the model
 Abaqus Script
The code require nodes on the boundaries to be assigned to sets
such as,
Nodes on face +x except for vertices, in set FX
Nodes on face -x except for vertices, in set F-X
Like wise FY and F-Y
Vertex where +x and +y meet in VXY
Vertex where -x and -y meet in V-X-Y
Like wise VX-Y and V-XY

x
Algorithm
 Youngs modulus and Poisson's ratio
Youngs moduli and Poissons ratio of materials are found by uni-axial
tensile or compression tests.

0
11
1
2

Under uni-axial tension in 1 direction, away from the boundaries, an UC

would be subjected to
0
Prescribed uniform 11 .
0
uniform 22 due to Poissons effect.
0
Prior to necking 12 =0
0 0
Under uni-axial tension in 2 direction, 22 was prescribed and 11 left
free
 Therefore macroscopic DOFs would read

Which are then implemented in PBC of face sets

And vertices
Shear moduli
Shear moduli may be found by prescribing pure or simple shear
loading on the UC. 0
0
12 21
0
12

Simple shear Pure shear

0 0 0
0
12 12 = 12 + 21

Pure shear was modelled

 Macroscopic DOFs read

PBCs on faces

PBCs on vertices
Variation of effective properties with ligament
efficiency
Meshes