Towards General Purpose Design System for Composite Materials and Structures

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Multiscale science and engineering have so far been largely driven by needs of specific applications, and lack of a mathematical foundation and systematic approach has limited progress. To develop a general purpose theoretical framework and to transform it into a useful design system, this project addresses the following fundamental issues: (1) What is the validity limit of homogenization and how to extend it to boundary layers at a reasonable computational cost? (2) How to deal with the issue of lack of periodicity that naturally arises due to high gradients even in a periodic heterogeneous medium? (3) What should be the size of the representative volume element and how it is affected by large distortions? (4) How to introduce multiple temporal scales arising in mechanical/thermal fatigue problems? (5) How to account for multiple physical processes inherent in environmental degradation problems involving coupled mechanical-diffusion-reaction processes? These issues will be studied and the resulting design system will be validated against experimental data provided by industrial partners.The Multiscale Design System that will grow out of this research program will advance a wide array of fields requiring light weight structural components in aerospace, printed circuit boards, robotic arms, medical prostheses, implants, valves, seals, electronic devices and radiological equipment. This general purpose multiscale design system offers a transformational approach that may lead to life-saving improvements in medical devices, more resilient infrastructure, energy-saving measures that will increase the efficiency of environmental processes, and a variety of more cost-effective products. The education program will extend from undergraduate to graduate work with outreach to women and minorities. Technology transfer to industrial partners from GE, Boeing, GM and Renegade Materials has a potentially of impacting their design processes.