A Micromechanical Model for X-Ray Stress Analysis of Fiber Reinforced Composites

Abstract

The structural and residual stress of fibrous composites can be evaluated by measuring the strain in embedded particles which are sensitive to X-ray diffraction. The main advantage is that three-dimensional stresses in the interior can be measured. To evaluate the stress in the material a micromechanical model is proposed for the effective stressstrain relationship between the strain in the particles and the stress in the composite. The consistency of the model is checked by Finite-Element computations of representative volume elements. The predictions of the model are compared with experimental results and conclusions about the validity of the model are drawn.