Parameter identification for short fiber-reinforced plastics using optimal experimental design

This article is concerned with the identification of stiffness parameters for short fiber-reinforced plastic materials, produced by injection molding and modeled by an orientation averaged transversely isotropic material law. Experiments are carried out in the form of computer simulations for a representative volume element of the material. The goal is to robustly identify the parameters with the fewest number of representative volume element simulations and such that the macroscopic model response attains a minimal variance for arbitrary strains and fiber orientations. Our approach carries over to problems involving anisotropic viscosity, thermal expansion and conductivity, and structurally similar problems. Copyright (C) 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.