Evaluation of the effective elastic moduli of tetragonal fiber-reinforced composites based on Maxwell’s concept of equivalent inhomogeneity

Maxwell’s concept of an equivalent inhomogeneity is employed for evaluating the effective elastic properties of tetragonal, fiber-reinforced, unidirectional composites with isotropic phases. The microstructure induced anisotropic effective elastic properties of the material are obtained by comparing the far-field solutions for the problem of a finite cluster of isotropic, circular cylindrical fibers embedded in an infinite isotropic matrix with that for the problem of a single, tetragonal, circular cylindrical equivalent inhomogeneity embedded in the same isotropic matrix. The former solutions precisely account for the interactions between all fibers in the cluster and for their geometrical arrangement. The solutions to several example problems that involve periodic (square arrays) composites demonstrate that the approach adequately captures microstructure induced anisotropy of the materials and provides reasonably accurate estimates of their effective elastic properties.     

Stress fields and Eshelby forces on half-plane inhomogeneities with eigenstrains and strip inclusions meeting a free surface

The stress field due to a half-plane inhomogeneity with plane eigenstrain is obtained by a limiting procedure from the one of a circular Eshelby inhomogeneity/inclusion. This field, which requires tractions to be applied at infinity to be sustained, has minimum strain energy versus any other superposed homogeneous one, and is the Eshelby solution inside plus the Hill jump conditions. By superposition, the stresses due to an infinite strip (Eshelby property domain) inhomogeneity with eigenstrain are obtained, and, by superposition periodic strips or laminates can be obtained. By cancelling the stresses on a free-surface, strips of inclusions meeting a free surface are solved. They exhibit tensile stresses under the free surface, and logarithmic singularities in the tensile stress at the vertex, which may initiate cracking. The Eshelby self-forces on the boundary of circular and half-plane inhomogeneities are computed.     

The effect of microstructural morphology on the elastic,inelastic, and degradation behaviors of aluminum–alumina composites

Micromechanical models with idealized and simplified shapes of inhomogeneities have been widely used to obtain the average (macroscopic) mechanical response of different composite materials. The main purpose of this study is to examine whether the composites with irregular shapes of inhomogeneities, such as in the aluminum–alumina (Al–Al₂O₃) composites, can be approximated by considering idealized and simplified shapes of inhomogeneities in determining their overall macroscopic mechanical responses. We study the effects of microstructural characteristics, on mechanical behavior (elastic, inelastic, and degradation) of the constituents, and shapes and distributions of the pores and inclusions (inhomogeneities), and thermal stresses on the overall mechanical properties and response of the Al–Al₂O₃ composites. Microstructures of a composite with 20% alumina volume content are constructed from the microstructural images of the composite obtained by scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The SEM images of the composite are converted to finite element (FE) meshes, which are used to determine the overall mechanical response of the Al–Al₂O₃ composite. We also construct micromechanics model by considering circular shapes of the inhomogeneities, while maintaining the same volume contents and locations of the inhomogeneities as the ones in the micromechanics model with actual shapes of inhomogeneities. The macroscopic elastic and inelastic responses and stress fields in the constituents from the micromechanics models with actual and circular shapes of inhomogeneities are compared and discussed.     

Inhomogeneity effects on the crack driving force in elastic and elastic-plastic materials

This article evaluates the effect of material inhomogeneities on the crack-tip driving force in general inhomogeneous bodies and reports results for bimaterial composites. The theoretical model, based on Eshelby material forces, makes no assumptions about the distribution of the inhomogeneities or the constitutive properties of the materials. Inhomogeneities are modeled by making the stored energy have an explicit dependence on the reference coordinates. Then the material inhomogeneity effect on the crack-tip driving force is quantified by the term C_inh, which is the integral of the gradient of the stored energy in the direction of crack growth. The model is demonstrated by two model problems: (i) bimaterial elastic composite using asymptotic solutions and (ii) graded elastic and elastic-plastic compact tension specimen using numerical methods for stress analysis.     

Effective elastic properties of matrix composites with transversely-isotropic phases

The present work addresses the problem of calculation of the macroscopic effective elastic properties of composites containing transversely isotropic phases. As a first step, the contribution of a single inhomogeneity to the effective elastic properties is quantified. Relevant stiffness and compliance contribution tensors are derived for spheroidal inhomogeneities. The limiting cases of spherical, penny-shaped and cylindrical shapes are discussed in detail. The property contribution tensors are used to derive the effective elastic moduli of composite materials formed by transversely isotropic phases in two approximations: non-interaction approximation and effective field method. The results are compared with elastic moduli of quasi-random composites.     

Contact analysis in the presence of an ellipsoidal inhomogeneity within a half space

Many materials contain inhomogeneities or inclusions that may greatly affect their mechanical properties. Such inhomogeneities are for example encountered in the case of composite materials or materials containing precipitates. This paper presents an analysis of contact pressure and subsurface stress field for contact problems in the presence of anisotropic elastic inhomogeneities of ellipsoidal shape. Accounting for any orientation and material properties of the inhomogeneities are the major novelties of this work. The semi-analytical method proposed to solve the contact problem is based on Eshelby’s formalism and uses 2D and 3D Fast Fourier Transforms to speed up the computation. The time and memory necessary are greatly reduced in comparison with the classical finite element method. The model can be seen as an enrichment technique where the enrichment fields from the heterogeneous solution are superimposed to the homogeneous problem. The definition of complex geometries made by combination of inclusions can easily be achieved. A parametric analysis on the effect of elastic properties and geometrical features of the inhomogeneity (size, depth and orientation) is proposed. The model allows to obtain the contact pressure distribution – disturbed by the presence of inhomogeneities – as well as subsurface and matrix/inhomogeneity interface stresses. It is shown that the presence of an inclusion below the contact surface affects significantly the contact pressure and subsurfaces stress distributions when located at a depth lower than 0.7 times the contact radius. The anisotropy directions and material data are also key elements that strongly affect the elastic contact solution. In the case of normal contact between a spherical indenter and an elastic half space containing a single inhomogeneity whose center is located straight below the contact center, the normal stress at the inhomogeneity/matrix interface is mostly compressive. Finally when the axes of the ellipsoidal inclusion do not coincide with the contact problem axes, the pressure distribution is not symmetrical.     

Inclusions and inhomogeneities in strain gradient elasticity with couple stresses and related problems

At small length scales and/or in presence of large field gradients, the implicit long wavelength assumption of classical elasticity breaks down. Postulating a form of second gradient elasticity with couple stresses as a suitable phenomenological model for small-scale elastic phenomena, we herein extend Eshelby’s classical formulation for inclusions and inhomogeneities. While the modified size-dependent Eshelby’s tensor and hence the complete elastic state of inclusions containing transformation strains or eigenstrains is explicitly derived, the corresponding inhomogeneity problem leads to integrals equations which do not appear to have closed-form solutions. To that end, Eshelby’s equivalent inclusion method is extended to the present framework in form of a perturbation series that then can be used to approximate the elastic state of inhomogeneities. The approximate scheme for inhomogeneities also serves as the basis for establishing expressions for the effective properties of composites in second gradient elasticity with couple stresses. The present work is expected to find application towards nano-inclusions and certain types of composites in addition to being the basis for subsequent non-linear homogenization schemes.     

Two circular inclusions with inhomogeneously imperfect interfaces in plane elasticity

This paper is concerned with the problem of two circular inclusions with circumferentially inhomogeneously imperfect interfaces embedded in an infinite matrix in plane elastostatics. Infinite series form solutions to this problem are derived by applying complex variable techniques. The numerical results demonstrate that the interface imperfection, interface inhomogeneity, and interaction among neighboring inclusions (fibers) will exert a significant influence on the stresses along the interfaces and average stresses within the inclusions.     

On Maxwell's concept of equivalent inhomogeneity: When do the interactions matter?

The concept of Maxwell's equivalent inhomogeneity is re-evaluated in the context of the effective elastic properties of unidirectional multi-phase composite materials with the fibers of circular cross-section. The following key questions are addressed in this paper. Is the concept of equivalent inhomogeneity valid only for the materials with low volume fractions, as originally suggested by Maxwell? When do the interactions among the fibers matter? Could Maxwell's concept be generalized to allow for accurate estimates of the effective properties? The approach advocated in the paper provides an unique opportunity to study, in the framework of one model, the effects of the interactions among fibers on the effective transversely isotropic elastic properties of multi-phase composite materials.     

Stress intensity factors around a cylindrical crack in an interfacial zone in composite materials

Axisymmetric stresses around a cylindrical crack in an interfacial cylindrical layer between an infinite elastic medium with a cylindrical cavity and a circular elastic cylinder made of another material have been determined. The material constants of the layer vary continuously from those of the infinite medium to those of the cylinder. Tension surrounding the cylinder and perpendicular to the axis of the cylinder is applied to the composite materials. To solve this problem, the interfacial layer is divided into several layers with different material properties. The boundary conditions are reduced to dual integral equations. The differences in the crack faces are expanded in a series so as to satisfy the conditions outside the crack. The unknown coefficients in the series are solved using the conditions inside the crack. Numerical calculations are performed for several thicknesses of the interfacial layer. Using these numerical results, the stress intensity factors are evaluated for infinitesimal thickness of the layer.     

The second Eshelby problem and its solvability

It is still a challenge to clarify the dependence of overall elastic properties of heterogeneous materials on the microstructures of non-elliposodal inhomogeneities (cracks, pores, foreign particles). From the theory of elasticity, the formulation of the perturbance elastic fields, coming from a non-ellipsoidal inhomogeneity embedded in an infinitely extended material with remote constant loading, inevitably involve one or more integral equations. Up to now, due to the mathematical difficulty, there is almost no explicit analytical solution obtained except for the ellipsoidal inhomogeneity. In this paper, we point out the impossibility to transform this inhomogeneity problem into a conventional Eshelby problem by the equivalent inclusion method even if the eigenstrain is chosen to be non-uniform. We also build up an equivalent model, called the second Eshelby problem, to investigate the perturbance stress. It is probably a better template to make use of the profound methods and results of conventional Eshelby problems of non-ellipsoidal inclusions.     

On the Deformation of Functionally Graded Porous Elastic Cylinders

This paper is concerned with the linear theory of inhomogeneous and orthotropic elastic materials with voids. We study the problem of extension and bending of right cylinders when the constitutive coefficients are independent of the axial coordinate. First, the plane strain problem for inhomogeneous and orthotropic elastic materials with voids is investigated. Then, the solution of the problem of extension and bending is expressed in terms of solutions of three plane strain problems. The results are used to study the extension of a circular cylinder with a special kind of inhomogeneity. The influence of the material inhomogeneity on the axial strain is established.      

Elliptic inhomogeneities and inclusions in anti-plane couple stress elasticity with application to nano-composites

It is well-known that classical continuum theory has certain deficiencies in predicting material’s behavior at the micro- and nanoscales, where the size effect is not negligible. Higher order continuum theories introduce new material constants into the formulation, making the interpretation of the size effect possible. One famous version of these theories is the couple stress theory, invoked to study the anti-plane problems of the elliptic inhomogeneities and inclusions in the present work. The formulation in elliptic coordinates leads to an exact series solution involving Mathieu functions. Subsequently, the elastic fields of a single inhomogeneity in conjunction with the Mori–Tanaka theory is employed to estimate the overall anti-plane shear moduli of composites with uni-directional elliptic cylindrical fibers. The dependence of the anti-plane elastic moduli on several important physical parameters such as size, aspect ratio and rigidity of the fiber, the characteristic length of the constituents, and the orientation of the reinforcements is analyzed. Based on the available data in the literature, certain nano-composite models have been proposed and their overall behavior estimated using the present theory.     

A New Method for an Inhomogeneity with Stepwise Graded Interphase under Thermomechanical Loadings

The solution for a circular inhomogeneity embedded in an infinite elastic matrix with a multilayered interphase plays a fundamental role in many practical and theoretical problems. Therefore, improved analysis methods for this problem are of great interest. In this paper, a new procedure is presented to obtain the exact stress fields within the inhomogeneity and the matrix under thermomechanical loadings, without the need of solving the full multiphase composite problem. With this short-cut method, the problem is reduced to a single linear algebraic equation and two coupled linear algebraic equations which determine the only three real coefficients of the stress field within the inhomogeneity. In particular, the average stresses within the inhomogeneity can be calculated directly from the three real coefficients. Further, the other three unknown real coefficients associated with the stress field in the matrix can be determined subsequently. Hence, the influence of the stepwise graded interphase on the stress fields is manifested by its effect on the six real coefficients. All these results hold for stepwise graded interphase composed of any number of interphase layers. Several examples serve to illustrate the method and its advantages over other existing approaches. The explicit solutions are used to study the design of harmonic elastic inclusions, and the effect of a compliant interphase layer on thermal-mismatch induced residual stresses. This revised version was published online in August 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

Thermoelastic characteristics of a composite solid with initial stresses

Thermoelastic problem for a composite solid with initial stresses is considered on the basis of the asymptotic homogenization method. The homogenized model is constructed by means of the two-scale asymptotic homogenization techniques. The major result of a present paper is that the effective (homogenized) thermoelastic characteristics of the composite material depend not only on local distributions of all types of material characteristics: local elastic properties, local thermoelastic properties, but also on local initial stresses. Therefore it is shown that for the inhomogeneous (composite) material local initial stresses contribute towards values of the effective characteristics of the material. This kind of interaction is not possible for the homogeneous materials. From the mathematical viewpoint, the asymptotic homogenization procedure is equivalent to the computation of G-limit of the corresponding operator. And the above noted phenomenon is based on the fact that in the considering case the G-limit of a sum is not equal to the sum of G-limits. The developed general homogenized model is illustrated in the particular case of the small initial stresses, which is common for the practical mechanical problems. The explicit formulas for the effective thermoelastic characteristics and numerical results are obtained for a laminated composite solid with the initial stresses.     

Interfacial stiffness dependence of the effective magnetostriction of particulate magnetostrictive composites

Terfenol-D composites attract much attention recently due to their large magnetostriction, small eddy energy loss and large operation frequency bandwidth. Binder layer in the composite usually mechanically weakens the composite and reduces the effective properties. A typical kind of magnetostictive composite is composed of Rare Earth metallic compound powder, matrix material and resin binder. The binder, which is usually flexible and forms mechanically weak interface in the composite, inevitably influences the overall magnetostriction of composites. In this paper, a theoretical model was developed to treat a simple deformation case of this kind of mechanically weak interface, in which the flexible layer has low stiffness to withstand deformation but no de-bonding or cracking. An infinite magnetostrictive plane with a circular inclusion was considered, where the matrix and inclusion are all general magnetostrictive materials which can be modeled by the standard square constitutive relation of magnetostriction. The binder layer of a certain thickness was modeled as a set of springs with no thickness but with an equivalent stiffness. The mathematical formulation was brought into the complex variable framework. The magnetoelastic field was solved and the effective magnetostriction was explicitly obtained. Comparisons with experimental results were also presented. In terms of this analysis, the interfacial stiffness has significant influences on the overall magnetostriction of composite. Increasing the interfacial stiffness can lead to large magnetostriction of composites. The measure for improving the interfacial stiffness includes increasing the binder modulus and reducing its thickness.     

Closed-form solutions for piezomagnetic inhomogeneities embedded in a non-piezomagnetic matrix

This paper presents two different analytical methods to investigate the magneto-mechanical coupling effect for piezomagnetic inhomogeneities embedded in a non-piezomagnetic matrix. First, the magnetoelastic solution is expressed in terms of magnetoelastic Green's function that can be decoupled into elastic Green's function and magnetic Green's function. Second, the problem is analyzed by the equivalent inclusion method, and then, the formulation of the inhomogeneity problem can be decoupled into an elastic problem and a magnetic inhomogeneity problem connected by some eigenstrain and eigenmagnetic fields. For the piezomagnetic composites with a non-piezomagnetic matrix, these two solutions are completely equivalent each other though they are obtained by means of two different methods. Moreover, based upon the unified energy method, the effective magnetoelastic moduli of the composites are expressed explicitly in terms of phase properties and volume fractions. Then the dilute and Mori–Tanaka schemes are discussed, respectively. Finally, the calculations are made to predict the effective magnetoelastic moduli and illustrate the performance of each model.     

Frequency dependence of elastic (SH-) wave velocity and attenuation in anisotropic two phase media

The propagation and attenuation of elastic waves in a random anisotropic two-phase medium is studied using statistical averaging procedures and a self-consistent multiple scattering theory. The specific geometry and orientation of the inhomogeneities (second phase) are incorporated into the formulation via the scattering matrix of each inhomogeneity. The anisotropy of the composite medium is due to the specific orientation of the non-symmetric inclusions. At low frequencies, analytical expressions are derived for the effective wave number in the average medium as a function of the geometry and the material properties and the angle of orientation of the inclusions. The results for the special cases of oriented cracks may find applications in geophysics and material science. The formulation is ideally suited for numerical computation at higher frequencies as evidenced by the results presented for composites reinforced by fibers of elliptical cross section.     

The averaged mechanical properties of prismatic lattice formed by ellipsoidal inclusions

Summary The objective of this paper is to evaluate the averaged elastic properties of 3-D grained composites in which identical inclusions form a prismatic network interacting with the matrix material. The inclusions are of ellipsoidal shape with transverse circular sections located at the nodes of a doubly-periodic lattice with an orthogonal elementary cell. When the arrays of inclusions are set at equal spacings in normal directions through the thickness of the matrix, the material formed is an anisotropic composite with tetragonal symmetry at planes transverse to the fiber axis. The longitudinal and transverse elastic and shear moduli as well as the longitudinal Poisson's ratios of such composites are evaluated in this paper. The averaged properties are studied in terms of the aspect ratio and volume fraction of the inclusions as well as the relative rigidity of the constituent phases. Employing the Eshelby's theory for the stress field around a single ellipsoidal inhomogeneity, which is surrounded by the effective anisotropic material, and considering the Mori-Tanaka's concept for the mutual interaction of the neighboring inclusions, we may evaluate the averaged elastic properties of grained composites with aligned ellipsoidal inclusions at finite concentrations. The results provided in a closed-form solution concern the stiffness of 3-D grained composites with parallely dispersed ellipsoidal inclusions forming a prismatic network inside the principal material. It is shown that the stiffness is affected by both the geometry of the inclusions and their concentration. The use of different composite models in the analysis shows that intense variations of stiffness occur mainly in hard composites weakened by soft ellipsoidal inclusions. These findings come in full verification with experimental or theoretical results from the literature. Received 10 February 1998; accepted for publication 27 November 1998     

基于迭代法的非线性弹性均质化研究

微观结构对复合材料的宏观力学性能具有至关重要的影响, 通过合理设计复合材料微观结构可以得到期望的宏观性能. 均质化方法作为一种有效的设计方法, 它从微观结构的角度出发, 利用均匀化的概念, 实现了对复合材料宏观力学性能的预测和设计. 而当考虑非线性因素, 均质化的实现就非常困难. 本文利用双渐近展开方法, 将位移按照宏观位移和微观位移展开, 推导了非线性弹性均质化方程. 通过直接迭代法, 对非线性弹性均质化方程进行了求解, 并给出了具体的迭代方法和实现步骤. 本文基于迭代步骤和非线性弹性均质化方程编写MATLAB 程序, 对3种典型本构关系的周期性多孔材料平面问题进行了计算, 对比细致模型的应变能、最大位移和等效泊松比, 对程序及迭代方法的准确性进行了验证. 之后对一种三元橡胶基复合材料进行多尺度均质化, 将其分为芯丝尺度和层间尺度. 用线弹性的均质化方法得到了芯丝尺度的等效弹性参数, 并将其作为层间尺度的材料参数. 在层间尺度应用非线性弹性均质化方法对结构进行计算, 得到材料的宏观等效性能, 并以实验结果为基准进行评价.