Numerical simulation of elasto-plastic deformation of composites: evolution of stress microfields and implications for homogenization models (Q1779776)

The authors simulate composites consisting of homogeneously dispersed elastic spheres in elasto-plastic matrix by finite element analysis of three-dimensional multiparticle cubic cells with periodic boundary conditions. They obtain exact results for tension and shear by averaging 12 stress-strain curves obtained from cells containing 30 spheres, and compare their results with predictions of secant homogenization models. Moreover, the numerical simulations supply a detailed information about stress microfields, which is used to ascertain the accuracy and limitations of homogenization models to include the nonlinear deformation of the matrix. The authors conclude that the secant approximation based on volume-averaged second-order moment of matrix stress tensor, combined with a highly accurate linear homogenization model, provides excellent predictions of the composite response when the matrix strain hardening rate is high. The analysis of the evolution of matrix stress reveals that better predictions of the composite behavior can be obtained with a new homogenization models which capture the essential differences in the stresses carried by elastic and plastic regions in the matrix at the onset of plastic deformation.