YIC2025

Homogenization of Heterogeneous Electro-active Polymers using Polygonal Elements

  • Kumar, Jaynandan (Technion-Israel Institute of Technology)
  • Jabareen, Mahmood (Technion-Israel Institute of Technology)

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Heterogeneous electro-active polymers (EAPs) are composites consisting of fillers with distinct electro-mechanical properties. By understanding the macroscopic electro-mechanical response and microscopic deformation and interaction between fillers, new materials with improved performance can be designed. In this study, we investigate the electro-mechanical behavior of heterogeneous EAPs using a micro-macro computational approach. The material consists of inclusions with varying mechanical and electrical properties dispersed within a dielectric elastomer (VHB) matrix \cite{bishara2019reduced}. A different inclusion percentage and both structured and random particle distributions are considered. The analysis is performed using polygonal finite elements \cite{jabareen2020polygonal}, which reduces the computational cost and enables the modeling of complex particle composite geometry. A two-dimensional representative volume element (RVE) is employed, and the homogenization process is carried out using numerical simulation with periodic boundary conditions. The macroscopic mechanical response is captured through global responses, while the electrical response is averaged across the composite domain. This study facilitates the prediction of enhanced electro-mechanical properties for dielectric elastomer composites.