High performance reduction technique for multiscale finite element modeling (HPR-FE2): Towards industrial multiscale FE software

The authors have shown in previous contributions that reduced order modeling with optimal cubature applied to finite element square (FE2) techniques results in a reliable and affordable multiscale approach, the HPR-FE2 technique. Such technique is assessed here for an industrial case study of a generic 3D reinforced composite whose microstructure is represented by two general microcells accounting for different deformation mechanisms, microstrucural phases and geometry arrangement. Specifically, in this approach the microstrain modes used for building the reduced order model (ROM) are obtained through standard proper orthogonal decomposition (POD) techniques applied over snapshots of a representative sampling strain space. Additionally, a reduced number of integration points is obtained by exactly integrating the main free energy modes resulting from the sampling energy snapshots. The outcome consists of a number of dominant strain modes integrated over a remarkably reduced number of integration points which provide the support to evaluate the constitutive behavior of the microstructural phases. It is emphasized that stresses are computed according to the selected constitutive law at the reduced integration points and, therefore, the strategy inherits advantageous properties such as model completeness and customization of material properties. Overall results are discussed in terms of the consistency of the multiscale analysis, customization of the microscopic material parameters and speedup ratios compared to high-fidelity finite element (HF) simulations. (C) 2020 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Automated summary

The authors have developed a reliable and cost-effective multiscale method by using standard POD techniques to obtain microstrain modes and reducing the number of integration points through exact integration. This approach allows for evaluating the constitutive behavior of microstructural phases efficiently.