LAUSR

Adequate micro-modeling for composites is the basic and key precondition for their property prediction. This study takes fiber-reinforced composites (FRCs) as an example and focuses on the linkages among fiber content, porosity and aggregation in the microstructure of composites, as well as their effect on the overall mechanical properties. A novel two-parameter agglomeration model is developed to take both the tightly packed filler assemblies and the porosity into account, in which the fiber weight fraction is used as an independent variable to express the volumetric composition. Meanwhile, an improved two-scale approach based on Mori–Tanaka (M–T) homogenization theory is utilized to predict the effective properties of FRCs. Three typical FRCs: three-dimensional (3D) randomly distributed FRCs, two-dimensional (2D) randomly distributed ones and unidirectionally (UD) distributed ones, are investigated in detail. The proposed model and method are validated by available experimental data. A parametric study reveals that due to the synergistic influence of fiber content, porosity and local aggregation, a maximum stiffness of FRCs can be achieved by making fibers uniformly dispersed in the matrix and setting the fiber weight fraction to be a certain transition value, which is characterized as a best possible condition with high fiber content and low porosity.