Material models, what for ?

Engineering applications demand multiple combinations of material responses for predictive computer simulations.
We work on an incrementally increasing material library that collects a wide variety of thermo-mechanical behaviours useful for these simulations.
We use a unified formulation framework to maximize the compatibility and usability between models.

Which type of materials?

By acquiring experience from several research projects in different engineering contexts, we implement models to capture material responses such as pure thermoset and thermoplastic resins, fibre-reinforced polymers, concrete, asphalt, rubber or glass. Important features on our focus are:

Isotropy and orthotropy.
Non-linearities: visco-elasticity, plasticity, visco-plasticity, rubber-like behaviour, damage and fracture.
Coupled effects associated to variations of temperature and/or strain rate.

Why user-defined models?

With our library we try to cover a spectrum of situations meeting any of these conditions:

The material model is not implemented as a built-in material in the finite element software.
The material model presents difficulties to be combined with other features in the finite element software.
The material model needs regular revision or extension to incorporate further effects as a function of the ongoing investigation (maintenance and upgrade).

Learn more

Computer simulations based on Multiscale models allow for virtual characterization to efficiently investigate multiple material combinations with very different properties, supporting experimental testing campaign and saving time.

Our research team develops a library of thermo-mechanical responses for different type of materials that can be used at different scales present in different engineering applications.

A Multiscale treatment is composed of, at least, three linked descriptions: microscale, mesoscale and macroscale.

MICRO-SCALE (~0.000001 m):

Heterogeneous material system where the constituents are explicitly described: the matrix, the inclusions (fibers or particles) and the interface between them.

MESO-SCALE (~0.001 m):

A first process of homogenization (or averaging) has been done. The material does not distinguish the basic constituents but it still retains internal geometry.

MACRO-SCALE (~1 m):

Material with further applied level of homogenization that can be used at structural level (e.g., bi-directional laminate, asphalt concrete).

Contributors

(in active)

The contributors of this library belong to the research group Mechanics of Materials and Structures (UGent-MMS), which is part of the Department of Materials, Textiles and Chemical Engineering (MaTCh) at Ghent University.

Library creator

Director of developments

Francisco A. GILABERT

Professor

Machine learning for material modeling

Advanced polymer modeling

Validation

Ninghan TANG

PhD candidate

Advanced polymer modeling, thermosets and thermoplastics

Thermo-mecanical coupling, polymer and composites

Analytical derivations

Validation

Pei HAO

PhD in Mechanics, Energy and Materials

Coupling visco-elasticity, visco-plastic and visco-damage

Thermally-activated self-healing modeling

Self-healing polymers and composites

Yumiao WU

PhD candidate

Coupling visco-elasticity, visco-plastic and visco-damage

Self-healing modeling

High performance material parameters identification

Asphalt-based composites

Ziwei DAI

(double) PhD in Engineering

Former members

Visco-elastic orthotropy

Thermo-mecanical coupling, polymer and composites

Validation

Ruben SEVENOIS

PhD in Materials Science

Micro-mechanical modeling

Rate-independent plasticity

Coupling visco-elasticy, plastic and damage

Analytical derivations

Vikram LAHERI

PhD in Electromechanical Engineering

Liquid crystal elastomers (LCEs)

Thermo-order-mechanical coupling

Validation

Baihong CHEN

PhD candidate

Damage and debonding

Ultra high performace cement-based composites

Validation

Ziqi GAO

PhD candidate

Please visit our general UGent-MMS and Composites websites to have an overview of all the research topics on experimental mechanics, non-destructive testing (NDT) and advanced modeling strategies (Mean Field Homogenization, Variational methods, Reduced Order Modeling, Digital- and Particle-based methods, Multi-scale Homogenization).

materialModels@UGent

User-defined constitutive material models for Finite Element simulations

Material models, what for ?

Which type of materials?