Fraunhofer Institute for Industrial Mathematics ITWM
Our software tool »FiberMath« enables the generation of realistic microstructures, which serve as the basis for the virtual material characterization of fiber-reinforced composites. Virtual characterization is an efficient and cost-effective alternative to traditional physical testing. The structures generated by »FiberMath« precisely and reliably model the geometry of fiber-reinforced composites.
The experimental characterization of fibre-reinforced composites is complex and expensive. This is due to their high local variability (differences in structure at different points) and anisotropy (properties that vary depending on the direction, such as strength or stiffness). Virtual tests offer an efficient alternative: they supplement physical measurements with computer-aided tests on virtually generated microstructures.
Why Virtual Tests?
In order for virtual tests and material optimization methods to be meaningful, realistic geometries on the micrometre scale must be available. The variety of fiber geometries – which differ in terms of fiber orientation, length distribution, curvature and volume content – poses a major challenge. Although digital images, e.g. from microcomputed tomography, offer detailed insights, they cannot cover the entire parameter range of possible fiber geometries. This is where synthetic digital twins come into play to close this gap.
