Characterization of composite materials using a two-scale asymptotic homogenization method

The two-scale asymptotic homogenization method is used for the evaluation of the behavior of composite materials with periodic structures, which includes not only the capability to compute effective macroscopic properties of the material but also approximations to the behavior of the material in terms of its microscopic geometry. A software, using finite element methods, has been developed to implement the homogenization methodology. Thermal, elastic, visco-elastic, and piezoelectric properties are treated for continuous parallel fibers, short fibers, ellipsoidal inclusions, foams and woven fabric composites. Results obtained from the proposed model are compared with those obtained from fully 3-D finite element simulation of the elasticity problem.