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Engineering and technology
- Ceramics
- Composites and hybrid materials not elsewhere classified
- Computational materials science
The ProSIM project proposes the application of modeling and simulation techniques to provide a scientific explanation for physical phenomena identified as critical in ceramic manufacturing, for which there is currently only theoretical interpretation without real applicability. Therefore, ProSIM aims to interpret and solve problems specific to industrial companies in the ceramic sector, and its development will include the direct participation of several companies where the research results will be applied. In particular, in this project, we have developed a constitutive material model that efficiently and intuitively incorporates the effect of anisotropy in the viscous behavior exhibited by ceramic tiles during their sintering process. This model is formulated for use in predictive simulations using the finite element method; therefore, tensorial mathematical notation is employed, which is necessary to describe a three-dimensional state of stresses and strains. For simplicity, the initial basic model assumes a rheological analog element that describes linear viscoelastic mechanics. This initially isotropic model is then modified through a set of kinematic constraint conditions that allow the emulation of the anisotropy effect, where the orientation is arbitrary but changes depending on the loading conditions. It is important to note that the methodology for introducing anisotropy into the viscous response is entirely independent of the constitutive model. Therefore, any other viscous model can be used without any restriction. Another aspect of the work developed here involves assuming arbitrary deformations, which means that the large deformation regime is employed, using the concept of the deformation gradient. However, the considerations necessary to implement this methodology in the regime of infinitesimal deformations are also presented.