Simulation of ellipsoidal particle-reinforced materials with eigenstrain formulation of 3D BIE

Based on the concepts of eigenstrain and equivalent inclusion of Eshelby for inhomogeneity problems, a computational model and its solution procedure are presented using the proposed three-dimensional (3D) eigenstrain formulation of boundary integral equations (BIE) for simulating ellipsoidal particle-reinforced (and/or void-weakened) inhomogeneous materials. In the model, the eigenstrains characterizing deformation behaviors of each particle embedded in the matrix are determined using an iterative scheme with the aid of the corresponding Eshelby tensors, which can be obtained beforehand either analytically or numerically. With the proposed numerical model, the unknowns of the problem appear only on the boundary of the solution domain, since the interface condition between particles/voids and the matrix is satisfied naturally. The solution scale of the inhomogeneity problem can thus be significantly reduced. Using the algorithm, the stress distribution and the overall elastic properties are identified for ellipsoidal particle-reinforced/void-weakened inhomogeneous materials over a representative volume element (RVE). The effects of a variety of factors on the overall properties of the materials as well as the convergence behavior of the algorithm are studied numerically, showing the validity and efficiency of the proposed algorithm. (C) 2011 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.