On the generalized method of cells and the prediction of effective elastic properties of polymer bonded explosives

The prediction of the effective elastic properties of polymer bonded explosives using direct numerical simulations is computationally expensive because of the high volume fraction of particles in these particulate composites ($\sim$0.90) and the strong modulus contrast between the particles and the binder ($\sim$20,000). The generalized method of cells (GMC) is an alternative to direct numerical simulations for the determination of effective elastic properties of composites. GMC has been shown to be more computationally efficient than finite element analysis based approaches for a range of composites. In this investigation, the applicability of GMC to the determination of effective elastic properties of polymer bonded explosives is explored. GMC is shown to generate excellent estimates of effective moduli for composites containing square arrays of disks at volume fractions less than 0.60 and a modulus contrast of approximately 100.