MULTIPLE-SCATTERING OF ELASTIC-WAVES IN A FIBER-REINFORCED COMPOSITE

Propagation of elastic waves in a composite containing randomly distributed parallel fibers is studied in this paper. Both anti-plane (SH waves) and in-plane (P and SV waves) cases are considered. A multiple scattering theory and a statistical averaging procedure are implemented by means of the so-called Generalized Self Consistent Model (GSCM). Multiple scattering in the inhomogeneous medium results in a frequency dependent velocity and attenuation of the waves. The effective phase velocity and attenuation of the coherent waves are calculated for a wide range of frequencies and concentrations. The degree of interaction between the fibers is determined and the average strain calculated in a given inclusion by direct analysis and approximate homogenization is compared. The proposed method recovers three well-known static effective moduli of fiber-reinforced composites in the Rayleigh limit and the results at higher frequencies are physically reasonable.