Towards General Purpose Design System for Composite Materials and Structures

到目前为止，多尺度科学和工程在很大程度上是由具体应用的需要驱动的，缺乏数学基础和系统的方法限制了进展。开发通用理论框架并将其转化为有用的设计系统，这个项目解决了以下基本问题：(1)均匀化的有效性极限是什么，以及如何以合理的计算代价将其扩展到边界层？(2)如何处理即使在周期性非均匀介质中由于高梯度而自然产生的缺乏周期性的问题？(3)代表性体积元素的大小应该是多少，它是如何受到大变形的影响？(4)如何引入机械/热疲劳问题中出现的多个时间尺度？(5)如何考虑涉及耦合的机械-扩散-反应过程的环境退化问题中固有的多个物理过程？将研究这些问题，并将根据工业合作伙伴提供的实验数据验证所产生的设计系统。由该研究计划发展出来的多尺度设计系统将在航空航天、印刷电路板、机械臂、医疗假肢、植入物、阀门、密封件、电子设备和放射设备等需要轻量化结构部件的广泛领域取得进展。这一通用的多尺度设计系统提供了一种变革性的方法，可能会导致医疗设备的救命改进、更具弹性的基础设施、将提高环境过程效率的节能措施，以及各种更具成本效益的产品。该教育计划将从本科生延伸到研究生工作，面向女性和少数族裔。通用电气、波音、通用汽车和Renegade材料向工业合作伙伴转让技术可能会影响它们的设计流程。

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.