REPRESENTATIVE VOLUME ELEMENT BASED MICROMECHANICAL MODELING OF BIOMEDICALLY RELEVANT COMPOSITE MATERIALS

Date of Award

Fall 2024

Project Type

Dissertation

Program or Major

Mechanical Engineering

Degree Name

Doctor of Philosophy

First Advisor

Igor Tsukrov

Second Advisor

Brad Kinsey

Third Advisor

Jinjin Ha

Abstract

Micromechanical modeling of composite materials is an efficient and adaptable tool utilized to predict the overall behavior of composites, understand its correlation with the microstructure, and to develop new materials with superior mechanical and physical properties. One of the applications of this modeling can be found in biomedical engineering. This dissertation presents application of a range of micromechanical modeling approaches, including analytical formulas and numerical modeling techniques, to three biomedically relevant materials: biological sutures, carbon nanoparticle reinforced ultra-high-molecular-weight-polyethylene (UHMWPE) composites, and porous UHMWPE used in implant technologies. Multiscale models utilizing analytical methods on the microscale and finite element analysis on the mesoscale are used to predict the overall material properties. A significant focus is placed on accurate material characterization, predominantly through X-ray micro-computed tomography (μCT), and on the development of techniques for generating μCT-based numerical models for nanocarbon-reinforced and porous UHMWPE.

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