Multiple-cell Modeling of ®ber-reinforced Composites with the Presence of Interphases Using the Boundary Element Method

In this paper, an advanced boundary element method (BEM) with thin-body capabilities is applied to model multiple cells of ®ber-reinforced composites with the consideration of the interphases. E€ects of the multiple-cell models, as compared to the unit-cell model, in determining the e€ective material constants in the transverse plane, are studied. In this BEM approach, the interphases are modeled as thin elastic layers based on the elasticity theory, as opposed to spring-like models in the previous BEM and some models based on the ®nite element method (FEM). The BEM approach to the multiple-cell modeling is compared with the FEM approach. The advantages and disadvantages of the BEM as compared with the FEM for the analysis of ®ber-reinforced composites are discussed. It is shown that the developed BEM is very accurate and ecient in the modeling and analysis of ®ber-reinforced composites, and that di€erent cell models can have marked in¯uences on the evaluations of the e€ective modulus of ®ber-reinforced composites .