Multi-site micromechanical modelling of thermo-elastic properties of heterogeneous materials

A multi-site micromechanical modelling of the effective thermo-elastic properties of heterogeneous materials is derived from the proposed thermo-elastic integral equation. The fundamental solution based on the Green function of elasticity problem is used to derive a general expression of elastic and thermal strain concentration tensors. This approach enables the development of specific models such as multi-site Mori–Tanaka, self-consistent or generalized self-consistent schemes. The main advantage of the model resides in its capability to take into account the morphology as well as the topology of composites’ reinforcements. Sensitivity of the model predictions to some parameters has been analysed using the Generalized Mori–Tanaka (GMT) approximation. Its predictions have been compared to previous investigations to underline the effect of morphology and topology of reinforcements on the anisotropy of the global material properties.