Quantitative Dependence of the Effective Modulus of Particle Reinforced Composites on Partially Debonding Damage

Abstract

This paper is to study the impact of partially-debonding damage on the effective elasticity of particle reinforced composites (PRC). The particles would lose a part of load-carrying capacity after the interface partially-debonding happens. The damage degree is determined by damage variable parameters in terms of the debonding angle. Two sets of prevailing definitions of damage variable parameters, i.e. Zhao’s and Liu’s, are verified by finite element method (FEM), and the deficiencies of them are clearly demonstrated. To better characterize the effect of the partially-debonding damage, damage variables proposed by Wada are incorporated into an explicit micromechanics model to predict the effective properties of PRC. Finally, the accuracy and efficiency of the developed method are confirmed. In order to deeply understand the inherent damage mechanism, FEM is utilized to analyze the specific stress distribution in and around a debonded particle, and the evolution of the average particle stress with the debonding angle is revealed.