Finite Cell Method for functionally graded materials based on V-models and homogenized microstructures

TL;DR

This paper extends the finite cell method to V-rep models for efficient simulation of complex, micro-structured, functionally graded materials, enabling advanced additive manufacturing design analysis.

Contribution

It introduces a novel combination of FCM with V-rep models and homogenization techniques for simulating graded and micro-structured materials.

Findings

Effective simulation of complex geometries achieved.

Homogenization accurately models micro-structured materials.

Enhanced design capabilities for additive manufacturing.

Abstract

This paper proposes an extension of the finite cell method (FCM) to V-rep models, a novel geometric framework for volumetric representations. This combination of an embedded domain approach (FCM) and a new modeling framework (V-rep) forms the basis for an efficient and accurate simulation of mechanical artifacts, which are not only characterized by complex shapes but also by their non-standard interior structure. These objects gain more and more interest in the context of the new design opportunities opened by additive manufacturing, mainly when graded or micro-structured material is applied. Two different types of functionally graded materials (FGM) are considered: The first one, multi-material FGM, is described using the V-rep models' inherent property to assign different properties throughout the interior of a domain. The second, single-material FGM -- which is heterogeneously micro-structured -- characterizes the effective material behavior of representative volume elements by homogenization and performs large-scale simulations using the embedded domain approach.