A Refined Finite Element Formulation for the Microstructure-Dependent Analysis of Two-Dimensional (2D) Lattice Materials

Materials (Basel). 2012 Dec 20;6(1):1-17. doi: 10.3390/ma6010001.

Abstract

A finite element approximation is proposed for the dynamic analysis of two-dimensional (2D) lattice materials. The unit cell is modeled by means of a defined number of shear deformable micro-beams. The main innovative feature concerns the presence of a microstructure-dependent scale length, which allows the consideration of the so called size-effect that can be highly relevant, due to the characteristics of the lattice at the local scale. Some numerical results show the influence of the microstructure parameter on the dynamic behavior of two-dimensional lattice materials.

Keywords: band gaps; couple stress theory; finite element analysis; lattice materials.