A variational asymptotic micromechanics model for predicting thermoelastic properties of heterogeneous materials

A variational asymptotic micromechanics model has been developed for predicting effective thermoelastic properties of composite materials, and recover the local fields within the unit cell. This theory adopts essential assumptions within the concept of micromechanics, achieves an excellent accuracy, and provides a unified treatment for 1 D, 2D, and 3D unit cells. This theory is implemented using the finite element method into the computer program, VAMUCH, a general-purpose micromechanics analysis code. Several examples are used to validate the theory and the code. The results are compared with those available in the literature and those produced by a commercial finite element package. (c) 2007 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.