Stochastic Finite Element Analysis Framework for Modelling Mechanical Properties of Particulate Modified Polymer Composites

Polymers have become indispensable in many engineering applications because of their attractive properties, including low volumetric mass density and excellent resistance to corrosion. However, polymers typically lack in mechanical, thermal, and electrical properties that may be required for certain engineering applications. Therefore, researchers have been seeking to improve properties by modifying polymers with particulate fillers. In the research presented herein, a numerical modeling framework was employed that is capable of predicting the properties of binary or higher order composites with randomly distributed fillers in a polymer matrix. Specifically, mechanical properties, i.e., elastic modulus, Poisson’s ratio, and thermal expansion coefficient, were herein explored for the case of size-distributed spherical filler particles. The modeling framework, employing stochastic finite element analysis, reduces efforts for assessing material properties compared to experimental work, while increasing the level of accuracy compared to other available approaches, such as analytical methods. Results from the modeling framework are presented and contrasted with findings from experimental works available in the technical literature. Numerical predictions agree well with the non-linear trends observed in the experiments, i.e., elastic modulus predictions are within the experimental data scatter, while numerical data deviate from experimental Poisson’s ratio data for filler volume fractions greater than 0.15. The latter may be the result of morphology changes in specimens at higher filler volume fractions that do not comply with modelling assumptions.