Stress-strain behavior in initial yield stage of short fiber reinforced metal matrix composite

Based on the law of mixture and the large strain axisymmetric elasto-plastic finite element method, the analytical expressions for the stress strain response of short fiber reinforced metal matrix composite were derived and a new method of defining the yield behavior of short fiber reinforced metal matrix composite was proposed. The effects of the material parameters (fiber volume fraction, fiber aspect ratio, fiber end distance and matrix strain hardening coefficient) on the deformation behavior of the composite were also investigated. It was demonstrated that there is a close relationship between the stress strain partition parameter and the deformation behavior of the composite. The effect of the material parameters on the initial yield behavior can be revealed well by this method. The predicted elastic modulus and yield stress are in good agreement with the experiments. (C) 2002 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.