Upscaling of viscoelastic properties of highly-filled composites: Investigation of matrix–inclusion-type morphologies with power-law viscoelastic material response

In this paper, homogenization schemes for upscaling of elastic properties in the framework of continuum micromechanics are extended towards upscaling of viscoelastic material properties. Hereby, the Laplace–Carson transform method is applied to the Mori–Tanaka scheme, the self-consistent scheme, and the generalized self-consistent scheme and solved numerically by the Gaver–Stehfest algorithm. The performance of the so-obtained upscaling schemes is: (i) illustrated for an academic example (a 2-phase composite with Maxwellian-type creep response of the phases) and (ii) assessed considering a polyester matrix/marble dust filler composite with respective experimental data taken from the literature. Hereby, for the investigated range of volume fractions of inclusions, ranging from 29 vol.% to 55 vol.%, and a matrix/inclusion-type morphology, the transformed generalized self-consistent scheme emerged as the most suitable scheme for determination of the effective viscoelastic properties of this highly-filled composite material, resulting in a sound representation of the experimental data.