Multi-Scale Characterization for Micro-Architectures

Abstract Synthetic micro-architectures such as metal/polyurethane foams, computationally generated micro-architectures and composites are becoming increasingly popular for applications requiring tailored material properties. Similar structures are found throughout nature (e.g. cancellous bone, honey comb structures, etc...). Characterizing the bulk response of such structures is possible where a single RVE (Representative Volume Element) can be assumed or where a repeating unit-cell is used. For the case of large inhomogeneous micro-architectures direct computational simulations become intractable due to the resolution required to sufficiently represent the geometry. The method developed by the authors enables the bulk response of large inhomogeneous domains with two distinct length-scales to be obtained through characterization. The characteristics obtained from the process can also be visualized to highlight the variation of properties. By considering independent sub-volumes the characterization technique provides a high degree of parallelism and considerably reduced memory requirements. Domains in the order of 1 billion degrees of freedom can be characterized on a high-end workstation within 24 hours.