Modeling of multi-inclusion composites with interfacial imperfections: Micromechanical and numerical simulations

A micromechanical approach based on a two-layer built-in model and a numerical simulation based on boundary element method are proposed to predict the effective properties of the multi-inclusion composite with imperfect interfaces. The spring model is introduced to simulate the interface imperfection. These two methods are compared with each other, and good agreement is achieved. The effects of interface spring stiffness, volume ratio and stiffness of inclusions on the micro- and macro-mechanical behaviors of fiber-reinforced composites are investigated. It is shown that the developed micromechanical method is very comprehensive and efficient for fast prediction of effective properties of composites, while the numerical method is very accurate in detailed modeling of the mechanical behavior of composites with multiple inclusions.