A modified model for the prediction of effective elastic moduli of composite materials

In the present paper, the procedure for successive iteration method proposed by Mori and Wakashima [Micromechanics and Inhomogeneity, 1990] to estimate the effective elastic moduli of composite materials is reviewed. It is observed that the formulations of the method could be modified and generalized by introducing a parameter called concentration factor in the expression of the equivalent eigenstrain. The concentration factor introduced reflects the approximation to the interaction amongthe reinforcingparticles in a composite. With the proper choice of the concentration factor, the dilute and Mori–Tanaka models can be obtained as the specific cases of the modified formulations. The properties of the concentration factor are discussed. Numerical examples show a way to determine the factor through known experimental or numerical results of the considered problem