A computational modeling approach based on random fields for short fiber-reinforced composites with experimental verification by nanoindentation and tensile tests

Abstract

In this study a modeling approach for short fiber-reinforced composites is presented which allows one to consider information from the microstructure of the compound while modeling on the component level. The proposed technique is based on the determination of correlation functions by the moving window method. Using these correlation functions random fields are generated by the Karhunen–Loève expansion. Linear elastic numerical simulations are conducted on the mesoscale and component level based on the probabilistic characteristics of the microstructure derived from a two-dimensional micrograph. The experimental validation by nanoindentation on the mesoscale shows good conformity with the numerical simulations. For the numerical modeling on the component level the comparison of experimentally obtained Young’s modulus by tensile tests with numerical simulations indicate that the presented approach requires three-dimensional information of the probabilistic characteristics of the microstructure. Using this information not only the overall material properties are approximated sufficiently, but also the local distribution of the material properties shows the same trend as the results of conducted tensile tests.