Influence of fiber architecture on the inelastic response of metal matrix composites (Q677049)

The authors examine the influence of fiber architecture on the inelastic response of metal matrix composites. The first part of the work provides the survey of the literature about the effects of fiber distribution and shapes on the response of advanced polymeric composites. In the second part, the authors outline a recently developed analytical micromechanical model that is well suited to describe these effects. This micromechanical model, referred to as the generalized method of cells, can predict the overall inelastic behavior of unidirectional multiphase composites, given the properties of the constituents. The model is also general enough to predict the response of unidirectional composites that are reinforced by either continuous or discontinuous fibers, with different inclusion shapes and distributions. Finally, in the third part, the authors provide qualitative results obtained by using the generalized method of cells.