Direct multiscale ‘morphological approach’ for non-linear highly-filled particulate composites: theory and applications

The paper presents a non-classical multiscale framework, called ‘morphological approach’ (MA), we have developed for some ten years for modelling the non-linear behaviour of highly-filled composites such as propellants. The latest advances regarding finite strain behaviour of the sound material and also damage by interface debonding are synthesised. Numerical examples are proposed. For the undamaged material, a periodic microstructure is used to illustrate the MA ability to deal with finite strain viscoelasticity and underlying challenges in a direct manner. Regarding damage modelling, the works by Nadot et al. (2006) for a fixed damage state, and by Dartois et al. (2013) for damage evolution, are presented and discussed. Numerical application for a random microstructure containing 351 particles allows exemplifying how the progressive microstructural damage events may be followed in the MA framework and linked to the macroscopic response under loading.