Multiscale Modeling and Simulation of 3d Effective Homogenization for Material Properties of Graphene Nano-Platelets Reinforced in al7050 Matrix Composite

The present study aimed to predict the performance of a novel metal matrix composite by numerical simulation techniques to minimize the experimental costs. The objective was to accelerate the trial and error of experimental testing in order to simulate theaccurate properties that revealed at the micro-scale of the composites. A novel light-weight composite materials with promising physical and mechanical properties were synthesized based on Al7050 alloy, as a matrix and graphene nano-platelets, as a reinforcement. Modeling and simulation of the performance of Al7050-GRNP composites under various processing conditions were achieved using DIGIMAT software with ABAQUS simulation software. In addition, the actual characteristics of the starting materials and ball milled Al7050-GRNP composites were used for modeling and simulation of the behavior of Al7050-GRNP composites under various processing conditions. The simulation of compression test results of Al7050-GRNP composites was examined at a different mass fraction of GRNP. The stiffness and the strength of the composite material were observed to increase with increasing of the mass fraction of GRNP, however, the ductility was observed to decrease.The 3D random orientation of GRNP distribution inside Al7050 matrix affected the behavior of RVE modelmore than 2D random orientation. The direction of the applied load was observed to affect the behavior of the composite materials, in the case of 3D random distribution for 1% mass fraction of GRNP in Al7050-GRNP composite, the equivalent plastic strain (PEEQ) exhibited a higher value with the applied load in the direction of the x-axis. On the other hand, the equivalent plastic strain (PEEQ) revealed a lower value with the applied load in the direction of the z-axis. Furthermore, it was found that the values of stresses exhibited a significant diversity according to the direction of the applied load.