Variational asymptotic micromechanics modeling of heterogeneous piezoelectric materials

In this paper, a new micromechanics model is developed to predict the effective properties and local fields of heterogeneous piezoelectric materials using the variational asymptotic method for unit cell homogenization (VAMUCH), a recently developed micromechanics modeling technique. Starting from the total electric enthalpy of the heterogenous continuum, we formulate the micromechanics model as a constrained minimization problem using the variational asymptotic method. To handle realistic microstructures in engineering applications, we implement this new model using the finite element method. For validation, a few examples are used to demonstrate the application and accuracy of this theory and the companion computer program - VAMUCH. (c) 2008 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.