Novel and advanced multiphase materials are required by various innovative industrial applications, e.g. in aerospace, military, aeronautics, automotive, civil, and other applications. The basic question in designing new composites is how to optimally arrange the reinforcing phase to get the required material response to the applied load. The most important of these are fibrous composites, laminates, and complex multiphase materials, including interpenetrating and functionally graded composites, with complicated architectures of an internal structure consisting of porosity, and different types of reinforcement. It is widely recognized that important macroscopic properties like macroscopic stiffness and strength are governed by multiphysics processes that occur at one to several scales below the level of observation.

A thorough understanding of how these processes influence the reduction of stiffness and strength is key to the analysis of existing, and the design of improved, complex materials.

The aim of this course is to present a series of lectures by researchers specialized in (1) multiscale modelling of complex materials, and (2) developing novel experimental methods of observation of damage and fracture processes in these materials subjected to high strain rate loading. The basic principles will be formulated of multiscale modelling strategies towards modern complex multiphase materials subjected to dynamical or impact loadings.

The study of how these various length scales and multiphysical processes (1) can influence damage and fracture processes of advanced composites and (2) can be bridged or considered simultaneously during a time- and rate-dependent material loading. They have a well-defined architecture or internal structure at the nano-, micro-, and mesolevels. For this reason, advances in multiscale modelling and analysis made here, pertain directly to classes of materials that either have a wider range of relevant microstructural scales, such as polymers, and metals, or have random microstructures, e.g. metal-matrix composites, fiber- reinforced laminates, interpenetrating phase composites, FGMs or cellular materials and voided solids.

With regard to ceramic composites (CCs) and ceramic matrix composites (CMCs) the damage and fracture processes will be described with a triple-scale approach. The important problem of the damage process of interfaces surrounding particles, grains, whiskers or fibres included in composites will be analysed for different properties of the inclusions and in different scales.

The challenge in modelling time-dependent problems is to solve space and time multiscale, multiphase, and multiphysics initial-boundary value problems. Therefore, various methods applicable to time- and rate-dependent problems in novel composite materials will be discussed during the course including FEM, phase- field, or peridynamics.

The experimental part of the lectures includes a description of the newest achievements in (1) micro-CT assessment of internal structures of complex composites, (2) testing under low-velocity impact including temperature effects, and (3) high-velocity strains experiments with application Split Hopkinson Pressure Bar.