Effective Properties of Fiber Composites Using Stress Functions

Abstract

In this paper, an analytical approach is presented to derive the effective properties of fiber reinforced composites based on a three-phase model employing the Airy stress function. A refined self-consistent approximation is used based on a threephase model in which a single fiber is surrounded by a matrix phase beyond which lies an unbounded medium that has the properties of the composite The classical Airy stress function method is employed to derive the elastic fields of three-phase media analytically. The obtained solution for the three-phase composite supersedes the solution by Christensen and Lo. The effective elastic properties of the fiberreinforced composites are numerically computed which provide better prediction than the conventional self-consistent approximation.