Digital image-based modeling applied to the homogenization analysis of composite materials

The systematic methodologies to derive accurate microstructural models are developed for studying the mechanical behaviors of composite materials. Since the geometric information of a microstructure is often given by an image or a set of images, the direct interpretation of the geometry is possibly by digitizing it. By identifying each pixel or voxel with a finite element (FE) and accompanying appropriate image processing, an FE model can be automatically generated. It is also emphasized that the digitized models can be suitable for solving the FE equations by utilizing the uniformity of the FE mesh. The finite element analysis (FEA) with the homogenization method enables the prediction the thermo-mechanical behavior of the periodic microstructure (unit cell) as well as the global mechanical response of a structural component, while we are taking into account the specific effect of the geometric structural configuration of the microstructure through digitization. Several kinds of the digitizing techniques are presented to illustrate the potential of digital image-based (DIB) FE modeling of the unit cell. Keeping the microstructural design in mind, the modification of the plane image is introduced and the virtual realization of the unit cell geometry is presented so that a microstructural analysis utilizing the homogenization method would be realistic.