A unified periodical boundary conditions for representative volume elements of composites and applications

An explicit unified form of boundary conditions for a periodic representative volume element (RVE) is presented which satisfies the periodicity conditions, and is suitable for any combination of multiaxial loads. Starting from a simple 2-D example, we demonstrate that the homogeneous boundary conditions are not only over-constrained but they may also violate the boundary traction periodicity conditions. Subsequently, the proposed method is applied to: (a) the simultaneous prediction of nine elastic constants of a unidirectional laminate by applying multiaxial loads to a cubic unit cell model; (b) the prediction of in-plane elastic moduli for [+/-theta](n) angle-ply laminates. To facilitate the analysis, a meso/micro rhombohedral RVE model has been developed for the [+/-theta](n) angle-ply laminates. The results obtained are in good agreement with the available theoretical and experimental results. (C) 2003 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.