Overview:

Multiscale material modeling is an essential component in current state-of-the-art composite materials analysis. The FEAMAC software, developed at the NASA Glenn Research Center, integrates the micromechanics analysis capabilities of their MAC/GMC code within Abaqus. The MAC/GMC (Micromechanics Analysis Code based on the Generalized Method of Cells) accurately predicts the elastic and inelastic thermomechanical  of multiphased materials including polymer-, ceramic-, and metal-matrix composites and laminates.

The FEAMAC multi-scale software allows for the structural analysis of  composite materials by calling a MAC/GMC library directly from ABAQUS to represent the composite material at each integration point in the finite element model. It is an efficient and effective way to model composite behavior directly from the constituent properties, by defining material non-linearity and failure at the fiber/matrix level.

Multiscale Modeling with FEAMAC

The following video provides a background on multiscale modeling with FEAMAC. It summarizes the benefits of the multiscale modeling approach, underlying micromechanics theory and how it is integrated with Abaqus. 

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The FEAMAC software is available from the NASA Glenn Research Center. Contact information is provided <here>.

FEAMAC-PrePost Plug-in:

As mentioned in the previous video, a plug-in called FEAMAC-PrePost is available for use with the FEAMAC software which allows for seamless integration of the multiscale analysis directory with Abaqus/CAE. It provides a simple user interface for pre-processing as well as post-processing a multiscale analysis with FEAMAC. A sample is shown in the short  video (~8 seconds) below, where local fiber/matrix stresses in two separate locations in a composite laminate are simultaneously viewed along with the composite level stresses.

A demonstration of using  the FEAMAC-PrePost plug-in for a workshop tutorial can be seen in the video link below (~12 mins). In the example problem, a metal-matrix composite is modeled using the FEAMAC software to provide the overall composite response which considers the SiC fibers in a viscoplastic titanium matrix.

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Summary:

This blog entry is the first in a series of posts which will provide the necessary tools and files to be able to step through a couple of workshop examples (including the SiC-Ti composite example shown above) to familiarize users with multiscale modeling with FEAMAC. To get started, access the first workshop tutorial.