Composites with Micro - and Nano - Structure

Fibres are the most effective reinforcing material. Simulation of the interaction of matrix with fibres and fibre with other fibres is a most important problem for understanding the behaviour of fibre-reinforced composites (FRC). Large gradients in all displacement, stress and strain fields and their correct simulation for near and far field action are essential for effective computational modelling. Because of the large aspect ratios in fibre type reinforcing particles, methods using volume discretization are not efficient. Source functions (forces, dipoles, dislocations) describe correctly both near and far field activities and thus help to simulate all interactions very precisely. The method of continuous source functions allows us to satisfy the continuity of fields between very stiff fibres and much more flexible matrix by 1D continuous functions along the fibre axis and local 2D functions in the end parts of a fibre with only few parameters. Two types of examples with rows of non-overlapping sheets of fibre and with overlapping fibres show that the interaction of the end parts of fibres is crucial for evaluation of the mutual interaction of fibres in the composite. Correct simulation of all parts is important for evaluation of stiffness and strength of the FRC. Vladimı́r Kompiš and Mário Štiavnický Academy of the Armed Forces of General M.R. Štefánik, Liptovský Mikuláš, Department of Mechanical Engineering, Slovak Republic [email protected] Marián Kompiš Siemens Program and System Engineering s.r.o., 01001 Žilina, Slovakia [email protected] Zuzana Murčinková Department of Technical Devices Design, Faculty of Manufacturing Technologies of Technical University Košice with seat in Prešov, Slovakia [email protected] Qing-Hua Qin Department of Engineering, Australian National University, Canberra ACT 0200, Australia [email protected] V. Kompiš (ed.), Composites with Microand Nano-Structure – Computational Modeling 27