Adaptive affine homogenization method for Visco-hyperelastic composites with imperfect interface

Despite intense research on homogenization methods, it is a still challenging task to predict the nonlinear mechanical responses of visco-hyperelastic particle-reinforced composites. In this work, we propose an adaptive affine method, a novel mean-field homogenization method designed to ensure the consistency of the accumulated strain state and the concentration tensor, and apply the method to predict the mechanical responses of the composites in the large strain regime under uniaxial, cyclic, and biaxial loading conditions. Our method is also extended to predict the mechanical response in the presence of interfacial imperfections described by linear cohesive traction-separation laws. The analytic predictions are validated against finite element analyses of representative volume elements. We believe that our adaptive affine method can be extended to model various nonlinear responses of load-bearing composites including the effects of (visco)plasticity and finite deformation. (C) 2022 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Automated summary

In this work, an adaptive affine method is proposed to predict the nonlinear mechanical responses of visco-hyperelastic particle-reinforced composites. The method is applied to various loading conditions and extended to consider interfacial imperfections. The predictions are validated against finite element analyses, demonstrating the potential of the method in modeling nonlinear responses of different types of materials.