Microstructural design of composites using the homogenization method and digital images

A microstructural design method is developed by utilizing the homogenization method and digital image-based (DIB) geometric modeling technique. The localization capability of the asymptotic homogenization method enables the evaluation of the microscopic deformation in the microstructure, i.e., representative volume element (RVE). This distinctive feature allows us to use the microscopic variables in the functional forms of constraints and objective function. In estimating the micromechanical responses, the systematic modeling method in terms of the pixel information of images and their processing make the construction of unit cell geometry easy and the homogenization results accurate. Therefore, while the specific microstructural geometry is taken into account in evaluating the micro and macroscopic variables, the optimal microstructural configurations can be determined depending on our objectives.