Shape and packing effects in particulate composites: micromechanical modelling and numerical verification

The aim of this study is to analyse the joint effect of reinforcement shape and packing on the effective behaviour of particulate composites. The proposed semi-analytical modelling method combines the Replacement Mori-Tanaka scheme, by means of which the concentration tensors for non-ellipsoidal inhomogeneities are found numerically, and the analytical morphologically representative pattern approach to account for particle packing. Five shapes of inhomogeneities are selected for the analysis: a sphere, a prolate ellipsoid, a sphere with cavities, an oblate spheroid with a cavity as well as an inhomogeneity created by three prolate spheroids crossing at right angles. Semi-analytical estimates are compared with the results of numerical simulations performed using the finite element method and with the outcomes of classical mean-field models based on the Eshelby solution, e.g. the Mori-Tanaka model or the self-consistent scheme.

Automated summary

The aim of this study is to analyze the joint effect of reinforcement shape and packing on the effective behavior of particulate composites. The proposed semi-analytical modeling method combines the Replacement Mori-Tanaka scheme and the analytical morphologically representative pattern approach to account for particle packing. Five shapes of inhomogeneities are selected for the analysis, and the semi-analytical estimates are compared with numerical simulations and classical mean-field models.