Generation of the representative volume elements of composite materials with misaligned inclusions

The paper presents the novel method of generation of the representative volume elements of composite materials with misaligned inclusions. The novel method, that is based on the solution of the optimization problem, allows to represent the prescribed orientation distribution by applying a reduced number of inclusions, in compariswwwwwon with other methods presented in the literature. The accuracy of the proposed method is demonstrated by the analysis of exemplary orientation distributions. Both the orientation state reconstruction accuracy and the effective material properties prediction accuracy are investigated. Moreover, the effective material properties determined on the basis of the representative volume elements with a reduced number of inclusions are compared with the results of the analysis of representative volume elements containing a large number of inclusions.