A micropolar homogenization approach for random particle-based composites

This study presents a multiscale procedure for determining the size of the Representative Volume Element (RVE) and the homogenized moduli of particle -based composite materials, modeled as micropolar continua. The homogenization, consistent with a generalized Hill - Mandel condition, is adopted in conjunction with a statistical procedure, by which two hierarchies of scale - dependent bounds on classical and micropolar constitutive moduli are obtained using Dirichlet and Neumann BCs. Two different types of inclusion , either stiffer or softer than the matri x, are considered in the numerical applications. The results highlight the importance of accounting for micropolar bending deformation modes, spatial randomness of the medium, and presence of inclusions crossing the edges of the test window used in the homogenization.