On the effect of the orientation of the reinforcement on the overall behaviour of AlSiCp composites

In the present work the authors develop an overall consitutive model that represents the global behaviour of an aluminium matrix composite material reinforced with SiC particles. The work presents several numerical simulation tests performed on three-dimensional representative unit cells, with a 20% reinforcement volume fraction, containing an ellipsoidal reinforcement particle. Mechanical loading conditions impose up to a 10% nominal tensile deformation on the unit cell. Different orientations of the reinforcement component are studied. Macroscopic response of the whole composite material are characterised in terms of homogenised stress–strain relations. Numerical results are approximated analytically and indicate that variations of the homogenised stress/strain with the orientation can be approximated by an expression made up from three distinct terms representing, separately, the effects of the geometry and loading conditions and the coupled geometry–load effect.