EXPERIMENTAL-ANALYSIS AND NUMERICAL-SIMULATION OF THERMOMECHANICAL COUPLINGS IN SOLID MATERIALS

In the first part, the theoretical and experimental framework used to present the thermomechanical behaviour of solid materials is briefly r ecalled. The main feature of the experimental approach relies on the u se of thermographical techniques allowing us to deduce, from the therm al data, the distribution of heat sources arising during the mechanica l transformation. In the particular case of homogeneous thermomechanic al tests, an energy balance can be performed and used to derive the be havioural constitutive equations. When heterogeneities occur, the infr ared images facilitate the analysis of localization mechanisms. In the second part, basic aspects of homogenization techniques are reiterate d. Related to thermomechanical couplings, homogenization improves the description of the behaviour of materials and structures in which micr ostructural phenomena have a significant influence at the macroscopic scale. Several finite element simulations are shown concerning the the rmoviscoelasticity of polymers, the thermoelasticity coupled with dama ge in composites, and the pseudoelastic behaviour related to the solid -solid phase change of shape memory alloys. (C) Elsevier, Paris.