An abaqus™ plug-in for the geometry generation of Representative Volume Elements with randomly distributed fibers and interphases

摘要

This paper proposes a plug-in called RVE for composites for the commercial software ABAQUS (TM). This tool generates 2D as well as 3D mull-fiber microstructure geometries for unidirectional composites with random distributions. Its originality resides on the fact of taking into account the interphase region between each fiber and the matrix. Instructions for users on how to install and execute the plug-in are presented. Several images of the graphical user's interface are showed in order to introduce the features of the tool. Finally, an example using a geometry generated by the plug-in with an experimentally based finite dimension for the interphase, is provided and includes a numerical/experimental macroscale comparison for validation. This plug-in represents an aid to the conception by helping ABAQUS (TM) users to save time in an early stage of the analysis which is the geometry generation. Further improvements are suggested to extend the capabilities of the tool.