Thermoelastic homogenization of periodic composites using an eigenstrain-based micromechanical model

This paper presents a study on effective thermoelastic properties of composite materials with periodic microstructures. The overall elastic moduli and coefficients of thermal expansion of such materials are evaluated by a micromechanical model based on the Eshelby equivalent inclusion approach. The model employs Fourier series in the representation of the periodic strain and displacement fields involved in the homogenization procedures and uses the Levin's formula for determining the effective coefficients of thermal expansion. Two main objectives can be highlighted in the work. The first of them is the implementation and application of an efficient strategy for computation of the average eigenstrain vector which represents a crucial task required by the thermoelastic homogenization model. The second objective consists in a detailed investigation on the behavior of the model, considering the convergence of results and efficiency of the strategy used to obtain the approximate solution of the elastic homogenization problem. Analyses on the complexity of the eigenstrain fields in function of the inclusion volume fractions and contrasts between the elastic moduli of the constituent phases are also included in the investigation. Comparisons with results provided by other micromechanical methods and experimental data demonstrate the very good performance of the presented model.     

Thermal expansion coefficients of laminar composites

The conclusion of [1], according to which the coefficient of linear expansion of a laminar composite in a direction orthogonal to the laminations may exceed the greater of the coefficients of linear expansion of the components, has been experimentally verified. The experiments were performed on laminated metal-plastics composed of alternating layers of thin sheet steel and epoxy-phenolic resin. The coefficients of linear expansion were determined in a direction normal to the laminations at temperatures of from 20 to 100°C and various component ratios. The experimental and theoretical results are compared.Moscow Power Engineering Institute. Translated from Mekhanika Polimerov, No. 3, pp. 567–568, May–June, 1969.     

Seifert manifolds with fiber spherical space forms

We study the Seifert fiber spaces modeled on the product space . Such spaces are ``fiber bundles' with singularities. The regular fibers are spherical space-forms of , while singular fibers are finite quotients of regular fibers. For each of possible space-form groups of , we obtain a criterion for a group extension of to act on as weakly -equivariant maps, which gives rise to a Seifert fiber space modeled on with weakly -equivariant maps as the universal group. In the course of proving our main results, we also obtain an explicit formula for for a cocompact crystallographic or Fuchsian group . Most of our methods for apply to compact Lie groups with discrete center, and we state some of our results in this general context.

     

Winding fiber composites with additional pressure

Possibilities of compacting reinforced plastics by applying additional pressure have been established in which application of additional pressure is rational. The effect of this technological device on the magnitude of the initial stresses which arise in the wound construction in the relative thickness range k=1.01–1.15 has been studied.Institute of Polymer Mechanics, Academy of Sciences of the Latvian SSR, Riga. Translated from Mekhanika Polimerov, No. 5, pp. 793–796, September–October, 1972.     

Analysis of fiber breaking in fiber/matrix composites under torsional loads

The initiation of multiple cracks in a fiber/matrix composite subjected to a torsional load is studied. The composite is made of a cylindrical fiber surrounded by a matrix of different properties. A periodic array of cracks is assumed to exist in the fiber along its central axis. A dual integral equation is formulated in terms of equivalent crack face loads. The effects of crack spacing on the crack tip field intensity factor, the stress, the torque, and the equivalent stiffness of the fiber are investigated and displayed graphically.     

Calculation of the expansion coefficients of composites with fibrous fillers

Methods of calculating the expansion coefficients of composites based on polyethylene and fibrous fillers are presented. Expressions are obtained for calculating the expansion coefficient in each specific case, i.e., for various fiber sizes and filler concentrations. The expansion coefficients calculated from these expressions are in good agreement with the experimental data.Institute of Polymer Mechanics, Academy of Sciences of the Latvian SSR, Riga. Translated from Mekhanika Polimerov, No. 6, pp. 1119–1122, November–December, 1970.     

Micro-macro modelling of fiber reinforced composites exhibiting elastoplastic deformation

Fiber reinforced plastics such as carbon fiber-reinforced composites are typically characterized by their high siffness to weight ratio making them particularly attractive in lightweight construction. In addition, the architecture of these materials means that the correct modelling of their orthotropy is very important. In this work, volume averaged stress-strain responses are generated from a micro representative volume element (RVE). A nonlinear macro constitutive material model accounting for anisotropic plasticity is proposed. The model is fitted and compared to the micro stress-strain response. (© 2015 Wiley-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)     

Nonlinear micromechanical model of filament-wound composites considering fiber undulation

Flexible-matrix composites with highly anisotropic properties have successfully been used in numerous fields to improve the performance of conventional structures or to facilitate new innovations. Many of them are designed on the basis of tubes which are produced efficiently by the filament winding process. To predict the elastic behavior of filament-wound flexible-matrix composites, aspects of the nonlinear behavior of the flexible material have to be considered, as well as the features of the distinct fiber undulation geometry inherent to the filament winding process. The present study considers these characteristics in the micromechanical modeling of the elastic behavior by including a nonlinear material model to represent the strain-dependent moduli and manufacturing-dependent geometries. The structure is characterized by a unit cell and subcells, analyzed separately and combined based on different sets of isostress and isostrain assumptions that depend on the winding angle. On the basis of experimentally obtained nonlinear lamina properties, an iterative method of solution is chosen to calculate the axial stress–strain behavior of tubes with various winding parameters. The resulting predictions are validated by testing tubes in tension and compression. The model shows good agreement with the experiments. Predictions made using the model show a strong influence of filament winding parameters on the axial modulus of flexible-matrix composite tubes.     

The plane wave expansion, infinite integrals and identities involving spherical Bessel functions

This paper shows that the plane wave expansion can be a useful tool in obtaining analytical solutions to infinite integrals over spherical Bessel functions and the derivation of identities for these functions. The integrals are often used in nuclear scattering calculations, where an analytical result can provide an insight into the reaction mechanism. A technique is developed whereby an integral over several special functions which cannot be found in any standard integral table can be broken down into integrals that have existing analytical solutions.     

On a stefan problem involving a spherical region: application of a Bergman-type expansion

A Bergman-type series expansion method is used in the analysis of a spherical reaction problem. The small-time solution so derived is employed as the starting point for the numerical solution, and the time for complete reaction is calculated.     

Microstress fields and the mechanical properties of disordered fiber composites

Conclusion The effective elastic moduli and Poisson's ratios and the mean characteristics of the stress fields in the components of unidirectional fiber composites with a stochastic structure are nearly the same as the corresponding values calculated for a regular model of the composite. Relatively small increase (up to 6%) is seen in the transverse shear moduli with the transition from a regular structure to a stochastic structure. In the latter, there is a substantial increase in the stress concentration factor. Here, the difference between the stochastic structure and the regular structure increases with an increase in fiber stiffness and is particularly great (with a difference of two to three orders of magnitude) in the case of shear loading. The probability of the occurrence of microscopic fracture in the binder of the investigated materials is higher in transverse tension, but the difference from the results obtained for the regular models is more significant in the case of shear loading. Microscopic fracture nuclei will be formed in the matrix of the composite with the stochastic structure at considerably lower macroscopic stresses than are required for the regular structure.Translated from Mekhanika Kompozitnykh Materialov, No. 5, pp. 860–865, September–October, 1990.     

Experimental and theoretical modeling of shrinkage damage formation in fiber composites

The cure of a thermoset matrix in the formation of composites is always accompanied by chemical shrinkage that generates internal stresses. In composites with high fiber content, the matrix is cured under three-dimensionally constrained conditions. The results of the previous experimental and theoretical modeling of formation of shrinkage damage under these conditions in epoxy-amine systems are briefly discussed. The effect of the model geometry (tube and plate models), scale factor, cure schedule, and chemical structure of composites is analyzed. A theoretical model for predicting the possibility of formation of shrinkage damage in fiber composites is proposed. A regular square structure was considered. Analysis showed that the maximum level of shrinkage stress in the matrix at the ultimate fiber fraction ⁺ was close to the stress level ⁺ in an experimental long tube model, where the formation of shrinkage damage took place. The experimental results for the short tube model showed that the shrinkage damage in epoxy-amine systems occurred up to approximately ⁺/3. The damage development took place within the whole range of fiber content from ⁺ to ^* (where the shrinkage stress level was about ⁺/3). In the long tube model, cohesive defects always nucleated inside the matrix. The damage grew, reached the inner surface of the tube, and then extended as adhesive debondings. A similar situation is expected in composites with a high fiber content. The damage considered is local, and the total monolithic character of a composite product is conserved.Submitted to the 10th International Conference on Mechanics of Composite Materials, April 20–23, 1998. Riga, Latvia.Institute of Chemical Physics, Russian Academy of Sciences, Chernogolovka 142432, Moscow Region, Russia. Translated form Mekhanika Kompozitnykh Materialov, Vol. 34, No. 2, pp. 264–275, March–April, 1998.