Micromechanics based random material property fields for particulate reinforced composites

Abstract

Particle reinforced metal matrix composites offer a number of advantages over continuously reinforced composites. They generally can be made using conventional metal-working processes and often fabricated to near net shape. Like continuously reinforced composites though, the potential exists to tailor these materials for higher specific stiffnesses, greater strength and improved fracture properties over their homogeneous counterparts. Their effective use requires an accurate characterization, which is made difficult by a three-dimensional (3D) random microstructure. A micromechanics based moving window technique, used to develop material property fields associated with the random 3D microstructure of a particulate reinforced composite, is described in this paper. The resulting sample material property fields are computationally tractable and have a direct link to the composite microstructure. The method can be used to generate material property fields for elastic or inelastic properties. Statistical and probabilistic descriptions of these property fields can subsequently be used to simulate the material and characterize the variability of the material response. The method is illustrated in this paper by generating fields for selected elastic moduli developed from a numerically simulated microstructure.