FeelMath – Software Simulates Composites, Foams and Porous Materials

The FeelMath software computes the effective anisotropic mechanical and thermal behavior of microstructures given by volume images or analytical descriptions.

The direct benefit of FeelMath is its use as a digital material laboratory (GeoDict) to determine the following effective material properties:

  • Stiffness and strength
  • Thermal expansion
  • Viscoelastic creep and relaxation
  • Elasto-plasticity and damage
  • High cycle fatigue
     

Multiphysical Applications

To extend the applicability of FeelMath for multiphysics effects, we have coupled it with other tools from our Flow and Materials Simulation department:

  • Batteries: By coupling it with our BEST software, we simulate the respiration of batteries during a charging cycle in the EU project Defacto
  • Rocks: The mechanical stresses resulting from pore pressure are used in our software PoreChem to simulate dissolution processes
  • Filters: By coupling to the flow solver FiltEST, we determine the relationship between flow properties (e.g. permeability) and mechanical stresses (e.g. compression) derived from filter media
  • Fluid: We use the results of FLUID's process simulation in our FeelMath software to predict component behavior.

Thus, we have successfully used FeelMath to predict mechanical material behavior for a wide variety of applications:

  • Foam compression with pore pressure
  • Fatigue of fiber reinforced plastics (BMWK DigiLaugBeh)
  • Flexural strength of unidirectional laminates
  • Damage of rocks (Project ResKin)
  • Breathing of battery electrodes (Project Defacto)
  • Comparison of 3D printed fiber reinforced plastics with injection molded specimen (Project SME Revit)
  • Strength of sheet molding compound (SMC) (EU ALMA Project)
Numerically calculated stress distribution in a short-fibre reinforced plastic under tensile load.
© Fraunhofer ITWM
Numerically calculated stress distribution in a short-fibre reinforced plastic under tensile load.

Integration Into Multiscale Component Simulation

To optimize a component (made of foam or fiber-reinforced plastics), the manufacturing process can also be included. For this purpose, we couple the behavior of the material map to the output of the respective process simulation (Project FLUID, Project FOAM, Software Moldflow). The material card then interpolates in the component simulation with ABAQUS or LSDyna between precalculated simulation results of FeelMath. Instead of using CT images of real material samples, in this case we determine the material behavior by simulation on virtually generated microstructures. (»Efficient Multiscale Processes for Short Fiber Reinforced Plastics«)

Microsamples With Calculated Strain Distribution in the Matrix – 3D Printed Sample
© Fraunhofer ITWM
Microsamples With Calculated Strain Distribution in the Matrix – 3D Printed Sample
REVIT: Microsample With Calculated Strain Distribution in the Matrix – Injection Molded Sample
© Fraunhofer ITWM
REVIT: Microsample With Calculated Strain Distribution in the Matrix – Injection Molded Sample

Video: Simulation of Foam Compression with our Software »FeelMath«

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Compression of closed cell foam