A finite element based approach for nonlocal stress analysis for multi-phase materials and composites
File(s)
Published version
Author(s)
Tufekci, Mertol
Dear, John
Salles, loic
Type
Journal Article
Abstract
This study proposes a numerical method for calculating the stress fields in nano-scale multi-phase/composite materials, where the classical continuum theory is inadequate due to the small-scale effects, including intermolecular spaces. The method focuses on weakly nonlocal and inhomogeneous materials and involves post-processing the local stresses obtained using a conventional finite element approach, applying the classical continuum theory to calculate the nonlocal stresses. The capabilities of this method are demonstrated through some numerical examples, namely, a two-dimensional case with a circular inclusion and some commonly used scenarios to model nanocomposites. Representative volume elements of various nanocomposites, including epoxy-based materials reinforced with fumed silica, silica (Nanopox F700), and rubber (Albipox 1000) are subjected to uniaxial tensile deformation combined with periodic boundary conditions. The local and nonlocal stress fields are computed through numerical simulations and after post-processing are compared with each other. The results acquired through the nonlocal theory exhibit a softening effect, resulting in reduced stress concentration and less of a discontinuous behaviour. This research contributes to the literature by proposing an efficient and standardised numerical method for analysing the small-scale stress distribution in small-scale multi-phase materials, providing a method for more accurate design in the nano-scale regime. This proposed method is also easy to implement in standard finite element software that employs classical continuum theory.
Date Issued
2025-04-01
Date Acceptance
2024-10-16
Citation
Engineering with Computers: an international journal for simulation-based engineering, 2025, 41 (2), pp.1103-1121
ISSN
0177-0667
Publisher
Springer
Start Page
1103
End Page
1121
Journal / Book Title
Engineering with Computers: an international journal for simulation-based engineering
Volume
41
Issue
2
Copyright Statement
© The Author(s) 2024. Open Access This article is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License, which permits use, sharing, adaptation, distribution and reproduction in any medium or format, as long as you give appropriate credit to the original author(s) and the source, provide a link to the Creative Commons licence, and indicate if changes were made. The images or other third party material in this article are included in the article’s Creative Commons licence, unless indicated otherwise in a credit line to the material. If material is not included in the article’s Creative Commons licence and your intended use is not permitted by statutory regulation or exceeds the permitted use, you will need to obtain permission directly from the copyright holder. To view a copy of this licence, visit http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/.
License URL
Identifier
10.1007/s00366-024-02076-x
Subjects
Three-dimensional stress analysis
Nonlocal continuum theory
Nanocomposites
Multi-phase materials
Finite element method
Publication Status
Published
Date Publish Online
2024-10-28