X-ray computed tomography data structure tensor orientation mapping for finite element models — STXAE

Abstract

Accurate modelling of fibre reinforced composites requires anisotropic material models. Structure tensor analysis of X-ray 3D images has been shown to provide fast and robust estimation of local structural orientations in fibre reinforced composites. We present two mapping algorithms which can be used to map estimated local orientations onto finite element models for more accurate material modelling. The two functions allow for element-wise and integration point-wise mapping, respectively, and have been implemented using Python in a Jupyter notebook. Together with the previously published structure tensor code, these two functions demonstrate the concept of Structure Tensor X-ray computed tomography Aided Engineering (STXAE) (Phonetics: [stekseɪi:]).