Orientation order parameters and effective conductivity of a 2-D solid with partially disordered array of circular inhomogeneities

Abstract

The paper focuses on the quantitative characterization of the microstructure of a two-dimensional heterogeneous solid with circular inhomogeneities that may vary from perfectly periodic arrangement to completely random one. This characterization is linked to the calculation of the effective conductivity of the material. The partially disordered system of disks is generated in the framework of the representative unit cell model using Metropolis algorithm. The orientation order metrics are taken as the structural parameters providing a quantitative measure of disorder, and their variation caused by the gradual disordering of the periodic system is assessed. The effective conductivity of the heterogeneous solid with partially disordered microstructure is evaluated by the multipole expansion method. It is shown that effective conductivity cannot be fully characterized by only one orientation order metric, and the required additional ones are identified.