Bounds and self-consistent estimates for the overall properties of anisotropic composites

Bounds of Hashin-Shtrikman type and self-consistent estimates for the overall properties of composites, which may be anisotropic, are developed. Bodies containing aligned ellipsoidal inclusions are considered particularly, generalizing previously known results. The overall thermal conductivity of a body containing aligned spheroidal inclusions is discussed as an example including, as limiting cases, bodies containing highly-conducting aligned needles and bodies containing aligned pennyshaped cracks.     

A micromechanical model for predicting thermal properties and thermo-viscoelastic responses of functionally graded materials

This study introduces a micromechanical model for predicting effective thermo-viscoelastic behaviors of a functionally graded material (FGM). The studied FGM consists of two constituents with varying compositions through the thickness. The microstructure of the FGM is idealized as solid spherical particles spatially distributed in a homogeneous matrix. The mechanical properties of each constituent can vary with temperature and time, while the thermal properties are allowed to change with temperature. The FGM model includes a transition zone where the inclusion and matrix constituents are not well defined. At the transition zone, an interchange between the two constituents as inclusion and matrix takes place such that the maximum inclusion volume contents before and after the transition zone are less than 50%. A micromechanical model is used to determine through-thickness effective thermal conductivity, coefficient of thermal expansion, and time-dependent compliance/stiffness of the FGM. The material properties at the transition zone are assumed to vary linearly between the two properties at the bounds of the transition zone. The micromechanical model is designed to be compatible with finite element (FE) scheme and used to analyze heat conduction and thermo-viscoelastic responses of FGMs. Available experimental data and analytical solutions in the literature are used to verify the thermo-mechanical properties of FGMs. The effects of time and temperature dependent constituent properties on the overall temperature, stress, and displacement fields in the FGM are also examined.     

Nb3Sn单晶超导相转变时的弹性性能变化

Nb3Sn超导体失超，是超导磁体装备运行过程中的重要现象。失超，即超导体从超导相转变为正常相的过程；在强磁场超导磁体工程中，由于超高的储能密度，失超伴随着力/热/电等物理参量在瞬时的剧烈变化。失超瞬时，超导相转变的同时伴随着弹性力学性能的突变，研究超导相转变时弹性性能的变化是失超诱发应力跨尺度分析的关键。本文首先采用第一性原理方法计算了弹性常数随温度的变化规律，结果表明由于未考虑A15结构的超导材料在环境温度变化的情况下产生的特殊电子能带结构，基于准静态近似方法的材料弹性常数计算从0K外推至有限温度时，会导致模拟结果与实验观测结果出现定性上的差异；之后，基于晶格自由能函数，给出了描述立方相Nb3Sn单晶弹性性能随温度变化的解析模型，模型预测结果与实验观测结果定性吻合，初步实现了对Nb3Sn单晶超导相转变时弹性性能变化的理论描述和预测。研究结果对于超导体失超应力的跨尺度模拟及超导磁体的安全分析具有一定的理论参考价值。     

Analysis of stress concentration around a spheroidal cavity under asymmetric dynamic loading

The fracture and fatigue properties of porous materials are strongly influenced by stress concentrations around the pores. In addition, failure of structural components initiates at locations of high stress concentration which is often caused by holes, inclusions or other discontinuities. In view of this, the stress concentration around a spheroidal cavity embedded in an elastic medium is studied under dynamic loading conditions. While solutions abound for static loads, only limited solutions exist for dynamic loads. The stress field around a spheroidal cavity is determined by using a hybrid methodology that combines the finite element technique with a spherical wave function expansion method. The stress concentrations within the matrix are found to be dependent on the frequency of excitation, aspect ratio of the cavity and the Poisson’s ratio of the matrix. The study reveals that dynamic stress concentrations can reach much higher values than those encountered under static loading.     

Plastic potential and yield function of porous materials with aligned and randomly oriented spheroidal voids

Based on an energy approach, the plastic potential and yield function of a porous material containing either aligned or randomly oriented spheroidal voids are developed at a given porosity and pore shape. The theory is applicable to both elastically compressible and incompressible matrix and, it is proved that, in the incompressible case, the theory with spherical and aligned spheroidal voids also coincides with Ponte Castaneda's bounds of the Hashin-Shtrikman and Willis types, respectively. Comparison is also made between the present theory and those of Gurson and Tvergaard, with a result giving strong overall support of this new development. For the influence of pore shape, the yield function and therefore the stress-strain curve of the isotropic porous material are found to be stiffest when the voids are spherical, and those associated with other pore shapes all fall below these values, the weakest one being caused by the disc-shaped voids. The transversely isotropic nature of the yield function and stress-strain curves of a porous material containing aligned pores are also demonstrated as a function of porosity and pore shape, and it is further substantiated with a comparison with an exact, local analysis when the void shape becomes cylindrical.     

Initial thermo-mechanical post-buckling of beams with temperature-dependent physical properties

The objective of this work is to analyze the elastic buckling and initial post-buckling behavior of slender beams subjected to uniform heating. The beams are assumed to be double-hinged with fixed ends, preventing thermal expansion. Consequently, destabilizing compressive forces arise that may lead to beam buckling. When the temperature is further increased, the beam experiences finite displacements, with the result that the analysis is geometrically non-linear. The modulus of elasticity and the thermal induced strain, key material properties for this problem, are temperature-dependent. Thus, the coefficients of the governing equations are not constant. This suggests the physical non-linearity of the mathematical model. Hence, the analysis is geometrically and physically non-linear. The analysis is sensitive to the beam initial temperature, as the thermal strain is a function of the initial and final temperatures. The material is considered to be linear elastic, and consequently viscoelastic and plastic effects are not taken into account. Furthermore, the beam cross-section properties are assumed to be constant, which is consistent with the small strain formulation. A perturbation method is applied to the governing non-linear differential equations so that the initial post-buckling behavior may be analytically determined when temperatures above the critical temperature are applied to the beam. To illustrate the application of the formulation we present a case study for the aluminum 7075-T6 alloy, a material commonly used in aerospace and naval industries. Nonetheless, it is expected similar behavior for other metallic materials. The curves that define the variation of the modulus of elasticity, the thermal strain and the yield stress with temperature are considered in our analysis. The change in length, reaction forces at the supports and geometric configurations are obtained as a function of temperature and the beam slenderness ratio. The critical buckling loads and temperatures and the initial post-buckling analysis are also calculated in the context of the temperature-independent physical properties. Our results emphasize the importance of modeling the material's non-linearity if accuracy is required. However, from a practical application point of view results are acceptable if temperature-independent physical properties are employed, especially for large slenderness ratios.     

Generalized thermoelastic problem of an infinite body with a spherical cavity under dual-phase-lags

The aim of the present contribution is the determination of the thermoelastic temperatures, stress, displacement, and strain in an infinite isotropic elastic body with a spherical cavity in the context of the mechanism of the two-temperature generalized thermoelasticity theory (2TT). The two-temperature Lord–Shulman (2TLS) model and two-temperature dual-phase-lag (2TDP) model of thermoelasticity are combined into a unified formulation with unified parameters. The medium is assumed to be initially quiescent. The basic equations are written in the form of a vector matrix differential equation in the Laplace transform domain, which is then solved by the state-space approach. The expressions for the conductive temperature and elongation are obtained at small times. The numerical inversion of the transformed solutions is carried out by using the Fourier-series expansion technique. A comparative study is performed for the thermoelastic stresses, conductive temperature, thermodynamic temperature, displacement, and elongation computed by using the Lord–Shulman and dual-phase-lag models.     

Effective thermoelastic properties of discrete-fiber reinforced materials with transversally-isotropic components

In the present paper, we will illustrate the application of the method of conditional moments by constructing the algorithm for determination of the effective elastic properties of composites from the given elastic constants of the components and geometrical parameters of inclusions. A special case of two-component matrix composite with randomly distributed unidirectional spheroidal inclusions is considered. To this end it is assumed that the components of the composite show transversally isotropic symmetry of thermoelastic properties and that the axes of symmetry of the thermoelastic properties of the matrix and inclusions coincide with the coordinate axis x ₃. As a numerical example a composite based on carbon inclusions and epoxide matrix is investigated. The dependencies of Young’s moduli, Poisson’s ratios and shear modulus from the concentration of inclusions and for certain values which characterize the shape of inclusions are analyzed. The results are compared and discussed in context with other theoretical predictions and experimental data.      

Micromechanics-based thermoelastic model for functionally graded particulate materials with particle interactions

Thermoelastic behavior of functionally graded particulate materials is investigated with a micromechanical approach. Based on a special representative volume element constructed to represent the graded microstructure of a macroscopic material point, the relation between the averaged strains of the particle and matrix phases is derived with pair-wise particle interactions, and a set of governing equations for the thermoelastic behavior of functionally graded materials is presented. The effective coefficient of thermal expansion at a material point is solved through the overall averaged strain of two phases induced by temperature change under the stress-free condition, and is shown to exhibit a weak anisotropy due to the particle interactions within the graded microstructure. When the material gradient is eliminated, the proposed model predicts the effective coefficient of thermal expansion for uniform composites as expected. If the particle interactions are disregarded, the proposed model recovers the Kerner model. The proposed semi-analytical scheme is consistent and general, and can handle any thermal loading variation. As examples, the thermal stress distributions of graded thermal barrier coatings are solved for two types of thermal loading: uniform temperature change and steady-state heat conduction in the gradation direction.     

Axisymmetric deformation of power-law solids containing a dilute concentration of aligned spheroidal voids

T response of an incompressible power-law matrix containing a dispersion of aligned, spheroidal voids is investigated. Attention is restricted to dilute concentrations of voids and to axisymmetric deformation of the solid. The essential step in the analysis is the solution of a kernel problem for an isolated void, and this solution is obtained accurately and efficiently using a Ritz procedure developed for this purpose. Results for macroscopic strain-rates are presented for void shapes ranging from penny-shaped cracks to infinitely long circular cylinders and for a wide range of triaxialities and matrix hardening exponents. These results are used to assess the role of void shape on the overall response of porous solids.     

Interface crack problem in layered orthotropic materials under thermo-mechanical loading

In the present paper, the behavior of an interface crack for a homogeneous orthotropic strip sandwiched between two different functionally graded orthotropic materials subjected to thermal and mechanical loading is considered. It is assumed that interface crack is partly insulated, and the temperature drop across the crack surfaces is the result of the thermal resistance due to the heat conduction through the crack region. The elastic properties of the material are assumed to vary continuously along the thickness direction. The principal directions of orthotropy are parallel and perpendicular to the crack orientation. The complicated mixed boundary problems of equations of heat conduction and elasticity are converted analytically into singular integral equations, which are solved numerically. The main objective of the paper is to study the effects of material nonhomogeneity parameters and the dimensionless thermal resistance on the thermal stress intensity factors for the purpose of gaining better understanding of the thermal behavior of graded layer.     

Strain-space plasticity analysis of fibrous composites

A strain-space formulation of plasticity theory for metal matrix fibrous composites is discussed. Specific results are obtained for a composite system in which the fibers are elastic until failure, while the matrix is of the Mises type, with kinematic hardening. The material model of the composite is based on the assumption that the fiber diameter is vanishingly small, and the fiber volume fraction is finite. Explicit expressions are obtained for instantaneous strain concentration factors in the phases, for the instantaneous overall stiffness, and for the overall loading surface and hardening rule during mechanical straining along a prescribed path.     

Load-dependent constitutive response of fiber composites with compliant interphases

I , the influence of applied load on the overall transverse mechanical properties of fiberreinforced composites with compliant interphases is examined from a micromechanical perspective. The composite is modeled by a regular hexagonal array of circular fibers in an infinite matrix. It is assumed that a thin reaction zone (intermolecular bonding at the fiber/matrix interface) establishes the bond between the fiber and matrix phases. The model of the present paper allows us to derive expressions for the overall elastic constants in the transverse plane as a function of applied load. The finite element method is used to evaluate these expressions, and the results are discussed.     

The thermal effect on axially compressed buckling of a double-walled carbon nanotube

The thermal effect on axially compressed buckling of a double-walled carbon nanotube is studied in this paper. The effects of temperature change, surrounding elastic medium and van der Waals forces between the inner and outer nanotubes are taken into account. Using continuum mechanics, an elastic double-shell model with thermal effect is presented for axially compressed buckling of a double-walled carbon nanotube embedded in an elastic matrix under thermal environment. Based on the model, an explicit formula for the critical axial stress is derived in terms of the buckling modes of the shell and the parameters that indicate the effects of temperature change, surrounding elastic medium and the van der Waals forces. Based on that, some simplified analysis is carried out to estimate the critical axial stress for axially compressed buckling of the double-walled carbon nanotube. Numerical results for the general case are obtained for the thermal effect on axially compressed buckling of a double-walled carbon nanotube. It is shown that the axial buckling load of double-walled carbon nanotube under thermal loads is dependent on the wave number of axially buckling modes. And a conclusion is drawn that at low and room temperature the critical axial stress for infinitesimal buckling of a double-walled carbon nanotube increase as the value of temperature change increases, while at high temperature the critical axial stress for infinitesimal buckling of a double-walled carbon nanotube decrease as the value of temperature change increases.     

Residual stresses in cyclically loaded two-phase solid

A plane-stress finite element model of a two-phase solid is analyzed for residual stresses that develop under cyclic loading. One phase is assumed to be dilute and to yield at stresses below those of the matrix. Simple triangular constant strain finite elements are used and the soft material is assumed to be a linear work hardening one. The load is applied incrementally and the stiffness matrix is updated at each step to its tangential values. The emphasis is on the residual stresses which develop within the soft element and in the neighborhood. Several distributions of soft material were examined. In the cases we consider, the residual stresses change sign on each load cycle, that is, they are not constant. They are also an appreciable percentage of the yield stress of the soft phase. The residual stresses primarily develop in the first cycle and settle down in just a few cycles. The location of a soft element is somewhat of a factor in how far away its effect is felt by other elements. In addition to the calculation of residual stresses, the temperature changes are also calculated. The plastic work is converted into heat in the soft elements and this in turn is conducted to the cooler elastic matrix. It is found that adiabatic conditions can be assumed for steel specimens for strain rates above .033 sec⁻¹ and at rates above .23 sec⁻¹ for aluminum.     

Effect of void shape on the macroscopic response of non-linear porous solids

The macroscopic response of an incompressible power-law matrix containing aligned spheroidal voids is investigated. The voids are assumed to be arranged in a uniform array, and the response of the solid is evaluated by isolating a typical block of the material containing a single void. The requisite boundary value problem for this “unit cell” is solved using a spectral method which is an adaption of that used by Lee and Mear “Axisymmetric Deformation of Power-law Solids containing Elliptical Inhomogeneities. Part I: Rigid Inclusions”, J. Mech. Phys. Solids, (1992) 8, 1805. Attention is restricted to axisymmetric deformation, and results for the macroscopic strain-rates (or strains) are presented for a range of void shape, void volume concentrations, hardening exponents and remote stress triaxilities.     

Thermal expansion of copper-carbon fiber composites

The thermal expansion data are obtained for carbon fiber copper matrix composites prepared from variously arranged crossed ply unidirectional monolayers and copper foils. Four types of specimens are made with different thickness of monolayers and copper foils and constant carbon fiber content. The initial thermal treatment of all specimens was the same. After being cooled from the bonding temperature, they were cycled up to 673 K three times. Due to this treatment the cracks were created in the monolayers. The specimens were additionally cycled between the temperature of 293 K to 623 K and coefficient of thermal expansion calculated from the linear slope for lower temperatures was about 10⁻⁵ m/m/K and decreased to zero at 600 K due to the very low coefficient of thermal expansion of the carbon fibers. Thermal expansion led to large hysteresis by plastic flow of the copper matrix. The hysteresis loops after additional cycling did not change. No other cracks were observed by optical microscopy.     

Nonlinear vibration of functionally graded graphene-reinforced composite laminated beams resting on elastic foundations in thermal environments

Modeling and nonlinear vibration analysis of graphene-reinforced composite (GRC) laminated beams resting on elastic foundations in thermal environments are presented. The graphene reinforcements are assumed to be aligned and are distributed either uniformly or functionally graded of piece-wise type along the thickness of the beam. The motion equations of the beams are based on a higher-order shear deformation beam theory and von Kármán strain displacement relationships. The beam–foundation interaction and thermal effects are also included. The temperature-dependent material properties of GRCs are estimated through a micromechanical model. A two-step perturbation approach is employed to determine the nonlinear-to-linear frequency ratios of GRC laminated beams. Detailed parametric studies are carried out to investigate the effects of material property gradient, temperature variation, stacking sequence as well as the foundation stiffness on the linear and nonlinear vibration characteristics of the GRC laminated beams.     

Non-axisymmetric thermal stress of a functionally graded coated circular inclusion in an infinite matrix

This paper is to study the non-axisymmetric two-dimensional problem of thermal stresses in an infinite matrix with a functionally graded coated circular inclusion based on complex variable method. With using the method of piece-wise homogeneous layers, the general solution for the functionally graded coating having radial arbitrary elastic properties is derived when the matrix is subjected to uniform heat flux at infinity, and then numerical results are presented for several special examples. It is found that the existence of the functionally graded coating can change interfacial thermal stresses, and choosing proper change ways of the radial elastic properties in the coating can obviously reduce the thermal stresses.