Abstract: | The aim of this paper is to derive, in the Hilbert space setting, an integral representation formula for the effective elasticity tensor for a two‐component composite of elastic materials, not necessarily well‐ordered. This integral representation formula implies a relation which links the effective elastic moduli to the N‐point correlation functions of the microstructure. Such relation not only facilitates a powerful scheme for systematic incorporation of microstructural information into bounds on the effective elastic moduli but also provides a theoretical foundation for inverse‐homogenization. The analysis presented in this paper can be generalized to an n‐component composite of elastic materials. The relations developed here can be applied to the inverse‐homogenization for a special class of linear viscoelastic composites. The results will be presented in another paper. Copyright © 2005 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. |