Voronoi cell finite element method for heat conduction analysis of composite materials

Area of Science:

• Computational Materials Science
• Heat Transfer Analysis
• Composite Materials Engineering

Background:

• Accurate thermal analysis of particle reinforced composites is crucial for performance prediction.
• Traditional methods may face challenges in precisely capturing complex heat transfer phenomena in heterogeneous materials.

Purpose of the Study:

• To present a novel Voronoi cell finite element method (VCFEM) for heat conduction problems in particle reinforced composites.
• To develop a formulation that directly approximates heat fluxes and interpolates temperatures for improved accuracy.

Main Methods:

• Assumed flux hybrid formulation within the VCFEM framework.
• Independent approximation of heat fluxes in matrix and inclusion phases.
• Relaxation of thermal balance conditions using Lagrange multipliers for a two-variable functional (heat flux and temperature).

Main Results:

• Successful computation of full field heat flux distribution.
• Accurate determination of effective thermal conductivity for the composite material.
• Validation of the method's feasibility and effectiveness through numerical examples.

Conclusions:

• The proposed VCFEM with assumed flux hybrid formulation offers a robust and effective approach for thermal analysis of composites.
• The method provides valuable insights into heat transfer behavior and material properties.