A NURBS-based interface-enriched generalized finite element scheme for the thermal analysis and design of microvascular composites

Motivated by recent advances in manufacturing techniques for high-temperature microvascular composites, a NURBS-based interface-enriched generalized finite element method (IGFEM) is developed to solve a simplified thermal model of microchannels embedded in the materials. This method is capable of handling curved and branched microchannels. Solutions more accurate than those achieved with the conventional finite element method can be obtained with coarse meshes that do not conform to the geometry of the microchannels. Near-optimal asymptotic convergence rate is also achieved with this method even for highly curved microchannels. The capability of the numerical scheme is demonstrated by solving problems with complex microchannel configurations.