The mechanical behaviour of interpenetrating phase composites – I: modelling

Interpenetrating phase composites (IPCs) – composites in which each phase forms a completely interconnected network – are becoming an important class of materials as the result of the development of a number of new techniques for producing composites with interpenetrating microstructures. In this paper, the mechanical properties of two-phase IPCs are modelled. Finite element analysis is used to investigate elastic, strength, and thermal expansion properties of IPCs. The numerical results are compared with the properties of composites with non-interpenetrating microstructures. For the specific microstructures investigated, it is found that a composite with an interpenetrating microstructure can possess enhanced thermo-mechanical properties. The enhanced properties may result more from the contiguity of the phase with more advantageous properties than from the interpenetrating microstructure.