Virtual Element Method: Micro-Mechanics Applications

In this contribution we present an application of the lowest order Virtual Element Method (VEM) to the problem of material computational homogenization. Material homogenization allows retrieving material properties through suitable volume averaging procedures, starting from a detailed representation of the micro-constituents of the considered material. The representation of such microstructure constitutes a remarkable effort in terms of data/mesh preparation, especially when there is not evident microstructural regularity. For such a reason, computational micromechanics may represent a challenging benchmark for showing the potential of VEM. In this contribution, polycrystalline materials are considered as an application. The proposed technique constitutes a first step towards modelling of damage processes in micro-structured materials.