A 3D multi-physics boundary element computational framework for polycrystalline materials micro-mechanics

A recently developed novel three-dimensional (3D) computational framework for the analysis of polycrystalline materials at the grain scale is described in this lecture. The framework is based on the employment of: i) 3D Laguerre-Voronoi tessellations for the representation of the micro-morphology of polycrystalline materials; ii) boundary integral equations for the representation of the mechanics of the individual grains; iii) suitable cohesive traction-separation laws for the representation of the multi-physics behavior of the interfaces (either inter-granular or trans-granular) within the aggregate, which are the seat of damage initiation and evolution processes, up to complete decohesion and failure. The lecture will describe the main features of the proposed framework, its main advantages, current issues and direction of potential further development. Several applications to the computational analysis of damage initiation and micro-cracking of common and piezoelectric aggregates under different loading conditions will be discussed. The framework could find profitable application in the multiscale analysis of polycrystalline components and in the design of micro-electromechanical devices (MEMS).