Homogenization for macro-fiber composites using Reissner–Mindlin plate theory

This article deals with the equivalent elastic and piezoelectric constants of macro-fiber composite patches. Two types of macro-fiber composite patches, macro-fiber composite-d31 and macro-fiber composite-d33, are considered. The former one is dominated by the d ₃₁ effect, while the latter one mainly uses the d ₃₃ effect. First, based on the representative volume element technique, homogenized elastic and piezoelectric constants of those fiber-based substrate layers in macro-fiber composite patches are obtained through linear mixing rules. Second, using the obtained homogenized constants for fiber-based substrate layers, the overall elastic and piezoelectric constants of macro-fiber composite patches are obtained by modeling of multi-layer laminated macro-fiber composites based on the Reissner–Mindlin hypothesis. Finally, the homogenized overall material constants of macro-fiber composite patches are used to evaluate the structural behavior of macro-fiber composite bonded smart structures. The results calculated by homogenized constants are compared with those obtained by multi-substrate-layer modeling approach, as well as with those reported in the literature.