Methods and tools for assessing the accuracy of composite property models

Abstract

Property modeling is essential for optimal application and efficient design of new composite materials. Although numerous models of composite properties are available in the literature, there is a lack of rigorous validation of these models. This paper introduces a freely distributed collection of experimental data on the electrical and dielectric properties of composites and an open-source program package for modeling and testing composite property models. The software provides a quantitative estimation of prediction accuracy, making it a valuable tool for assessing the quality of a composite model. The paper demonstrates the use of the proposed tools to estimate two-phase models of composite electrical conductivity that account for the filler shape. The results of this test showed that the examined models failed to simulate the shape of the filler. Also, the article gives an example of the comparison of three-phase models of relative permittivity of composites with fitting parameters. In addition, the study presents the analysis of errors in the approximation of experimental data by the model, as well as recommendations on methods and selection of criteria for evaluating the quality of models.