Analytical and numerical computation of homogenized properties of MFCs: Application to a composite boom with MFC actuators and sensors

Abstract. This work focuses on the numerical and analytical characterizations of the so-called Macro-Fiber-Composite (MFC) smart materials. For this, the Representative Volume Element (RVE) technique is used, within ABAQUS finite element (FE) software, to determine the threedimensional (3D) d31-type MFC effective (homogenized) piezoelectric properties that are compared to the 3D ones using Uniform Field Method (UFM) based analytical formulas derived from the literature. It is shown here that both approaches provide the same 3D d31-type MFC piezoelectric properties set. Then, two-dimensional (2D) simplified analytical formulae are developed using plane stress-like electromechanical assumptions. It is shown that the newly developed formulae are in very good agreement with the classical mixing rules used in layered composite materials. Both 3D and 2D sets are then used, within a SAMCEF shell FE model, for the prediction of the open-loop transfer function between two MFC patches bonded to a composite boom. The comparison of the numerical results with the experimental measurements shows much better correlation than with the effective properties (incomplete) set provided by the MFC supplier.

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