Reference: R.T. Coverdale, E.J. Garboczi, and H.M. Jennings, Computational
Materials Science 3, 465-474 (1995).
PDF version
of original paper
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R.T. Coverdale
Master Builders, Inc.
23700 Chagrin Boulevard
Cleveland, Ohio 44122
H.M. Jennings
Northwestern University
Depts. of Materials Science and Engineering and Civil Engineering
Evanston, IL 60208
E.J. Garboczi
National Institute of Standards and Technology
Building and Fire Research Laboratory
Building Materials Division 226/B348
Gaithersburg, MD 20899
Abstract
A numerical method for simulating the frequency-dependent impedance response of multi-phase
composite materials has been developed. The algorithm takes as input 1) a digital image of a
microstructure, in two or three dimensions, of any specified composite material, and 2) the
frequency-dependent electrical properties of the individual phases of the composite. An
impedance spectrum of any frequency range can then be computed using a conjugate gradient
algorithm operating on a finite difference solution scheme of Laplace's equation. Examples are
given of the impedance of analytically solvable microstructures, to validate the algorithm, and of a
random system, to test the usefulness of two different effective medium theories.