A study on the finite element preprocessing for the analysis and design with discontinuous composites

A strategy of finite element (FE) preprocessing of discontinuous fiber or whisker reinforced composite materials for mechanical analysis and design has been treated in this paper. The procedures were based on the calculation of the error in energy norm for global convergence and the traction differential approach at fiber/matrix interface for local convergence. The mesh refinement strategy was intended to theh-based generalized approach using the elongated element at the fiber/matrix interface, which yields significantly different patterns from those obtained by conventional mesh refinement procedures. This difference may have a critical bearing on the subsequent thermo-mechanical properties predicted by the finite element analysis (FFA). It was found that the FE mesh design of adequate element aspect ratio at the fiber/matrix interface results in a much more rapid computational convergence rate than that obtained by the conventional approach.