Effective constitutive behavior of heterogeneous materials comprising bimodular phases

In this study, the effective mechanical response of porous and composite materials comprising bimodular phases is investigated via a computational approach. Proposed numerical results, obtained via an iterative finite-element scheme, highlight that the local bimodularity leads to a macroscopic constitutive response more complex than that of local phases. By considering different strain-based conditions, coupling effects between hydrostatic and deviatoric states are highlighted. An unconventional macroscale material response, driven by perturba-tive effects locally induced by pores or inclusions, is revealed. Accordingly, proposed indications suggest that bimodularity features could be exploited for designing novel microstructured materials for advanced applications.