Homogenization Modeling for Mechanical Properties of Composite Conductor With Cooling Channel

摘要

An electrical composite conductor may consist of a metallic core with a cooling channel and a multilayered insulating material. A model was developed to predict the mechanical properties of the composite conductor based on two- level homogenization hierarchies. A composite cylinder assembly model was developed in the level 1 homogenization for metallic core with a cooling channel, in which the cooling channel was analogized as a fiber void with null material properties. The effective mechanical properties of the composite insulation layers were homogenized by smearing the properties of the multiple polymer coatings and fiber-reinforced composite. In the level 2 homogenization, combined homogenization sequences were used based on the requirement of the displacement- or the traction-prescribed continuity. The developed model can calculate the nine effective mechanical constants of the conductor made of a metallic core and any angle (+00) plain-woven glass-fiber composite. The model predictions were compared well with the results obtained from the finite element analyses. The developed model provides a theoretical basis and an accurate calculation for effective mechanical constants that are often difficult to be accurately determined through an experimental approach due to the structural heterogeneity and material anisotropy of the composite conductor.