Three-dimensional finite element modeling of anisotropic materials using X-ray computed micro-tomography data

A complete software package is developed for finite element modeling of anisotropic materials with orientation information estimated from X-ray & mu;CT scans. The method is demonstrated for a carbon fiber-reinforced epoxy pultruded profile where fiber orientations are estimated using structure tensor analysis. A finite element model is automatically generated with the same dimensions as the X-ray & mu;CT volume and with orientation information stored at the integration points of the mesh. A static tensile simulation is executed in AbaqusTM, and results are exported to a Python program for post-processing and analysis of the mechanical response.