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The advent of new more complex classes of strongly heterogeneous materials, such as 3D woven composites, introduces new challenges for well-established finite element multiscale modelling approaches. These materials' internal architecture dominates the local stress concentrations, damage initiation and damage progression. Additionally, the material loses periodicity during manufacture and conventional homogenization approaches become inapplicable. In this paper, a multiscale modelling approach based on domain decomposition and homogenization is proposed to model the mechanical behaviour of these materials. The proposed model formulates a set of displacement and force compatibility conditions between the various subdomains. The compatibility conditions are formulated by limiting the set of kinematically admissible solutions on the smaller scales in order to satisfy the larger scale basis functions at the interfaces. The different subdomains are solved alongside the compatibility conditions in an iterative process. The proposed multiscale framework reduces the stress artefacts on the subdomains' boundaries. This feature allows the 3D woven material internal architecture represented at the smaller scales to control the structural response at the global scale. Additionally, this framework allows for selective application of nonlinear material models to the subdomains of interest through its ability to redistribute stresses across the subdomains boundaries. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper we investigate the rolling shear failure in cross-laminated timber structures by homogenisation and cohesive zone models. In order to predict the structural response, four spatial scales are interlinked within a purely kinematic multi-scale modelling framework. The constitutive description has incorporated information coming from the wood cell-wall in the order of a few nanometres, wood fibres with dimensions of tens of micrometres and growth rings described by a few millimetres. The computational homogenisation scheme is solved sequentially from the lowest to the highest level in order to determine the effective mechanical properties for the fourth (structural) scale represented by a cross-laminated timber plate with dimensions of the order of one meter. In order to simulate the cracking in the material, a cohesive zone model is adopted at the homogenised macroscopic scale. The finite element problem is then solved using a mixed domain decomposition strategy due to its huge number of unknowns. This approach allows us to capture interlaminar and inter-fibre cracking and to solve the macroscopic equilibrium problem using parallel computations. Our numerical predictions are compared with experimental results and are validated successfully. In particular, we study the influence of wood density, edge-gluing and span-to-depth ratio on the rolling shear failure in cross-laminated timber. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Highlights: [•] The proposed M2RVE can predict stress-strain response of the balanced laminates. [•] Effect on local damage in one layer due to presence of another is captured. [•] Significant effect of matrix and interfacial properties on global response. [•] Debonding initiates at different strains for a [0/90]ns and [±45]ns laminate. [•] Model captures the amount and location of debonding at any point in the laminate. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: A two-scale numerical approach to predict the effective in-plane properties of helical filament-wound thin-walled cylindrical tubes is provided. A meso-scale repeated unit cell (RUC) model for a filament-wound tube is established according to the manufacturing process, in which cross-overs, undulations and overlaps of fibre bundles are described using a bottom-up solid modelling technique. An approach to implement the general periodic boundary conditions in a finite element analysis scheme is also presented. As an application example, the effective in-plane elastic constants of glass fibre/epoxy filament-wound tubes are predicted and the influences of the number of the winding circuits and the shape of the fibre bundles are analyzed and discussed. In addition, the stress/strain distribution in the RUC is obtained which provides the essential information on the stress/strain concentration due to fibre cross-over/undulation/overlap. This then indicates the location where damage will initiate. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: This paper presents a multi-scale model in phase transitions of solid materials with both macro and micro effects. This model is governed by a semi-linear nonconvex partial differential equation which can be converted into a coupled quadratic mixed variational problem by the canonical dual transformation method. The extremality conditions of this variational problem are controlled by a triality theory, which reveals the multi-scale effects in phase transitions. Therefore, a potentially useful canonical dual finite element method is proposed for the first time to solve the nonconvex variational problems in multi-scale phase transitions of solids. Applications are illustrated. Results shown that the canonical duality theory developed by the first author in nonconvex mechanics can be used to model complicated physical phenomena and to solve certain difficult nonconvex variational problems in an easy way. The canonical dual finite element method brings some new insights into computational mechanics. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]