Homogenized thermal properties of 3D composites with full uncertainty in the microstructure

In this work, random homogenization analysis for the effective thermal properties of a three-dimensional composite material with unidirectional fibers is presented by combining the equivalent inclusion method with Random Factor Method (RFM). The randomness of the micro-structural morphology and constituent material properties as well as the correlation among these random parameters are completely accounted for, and stochastic effective thermal properties as thermal expansion coefficients as well as their correlation are then sought. Results from the RFM and the Monte-Carlo Method (MCM) are compared. The impact of randomness and correlation of the micro-structural parameters on the random homogenized results is revealed by two methods simultaneously, and some important conclusions are obtained.