Non-linear deformation properties of materials with stochastically distributed anisotropic inclusions

In the present contribution, the problem of non-linear deformation of materials with stochastically distributed anisotropic inclusions is considered on the basis of the methods of mechanics of stochastically non-homogeneous media. The homogenization model of materials of stochastic structure with physically non-linear components is developed for the case of a matrix which is strengthened by unidirectional ellipsoidal inclusions. It is assumed that the matrix is isotropic, deforms non-linearly; inclusions are linear-elastic and have transversally-isotropic symmetry of physical and mechanical properties. Stochastic differential equations of physically non-linear elasticity theory form the underlying equations. Transformation of these equations into integral equations by using the Green's function and application of the method of conditional moments allow us to reduce the problem to a system of non-linear algebraic equations. This system of non-linear algebraic equations is solved by the Newton-Raphson method. On the analytical as well as the numerical basis, the algorithm for determination of the non-linear effective characteristics of such a material is introduced. The non-linear behavior of such a material is caused by the non-linear matrix deformations. On the basis of the numerical solution, the dependences of homogenized Poisson's coefficients on macro-strains and the non-linear stress-strain diagrams for a material with randomly distributed unidirectional ellipsoidal pores are predicted and discussed for different volume fractions of pores. (© 2013 Wiley-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)