Modeling micro-inertia in heterogeneous materials under dynamic loading

A continuum model including micro-inertia for heterogeneous materials under dynamic loading is proposed using a micro-mechanics method. The macro strain and stress are defined as the volume averages of the strain and stress fields in the representative volume element (RVE). The macro equations of motion are derived by using Hamilton's principle together with the strain energy density and kinetic energy density involving the micro-inertia terms. The new macro equations of motion are used to study harmonic and transient wave propagation in layered media. Using a simple linear displacement field for the RVE, the dispersion curves obtained from the present model agree with the exact solutions very well for a range of wavelengths. The present model is also applied to analyze the transient response of layered media subjected to a triangular pulse loading. Comparison is made between the results of the present model and a finite element analysis. (C) 2002 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.