Inverse Identification of Elastic Properties of Constituents of Discontinuously Reinforced Composites

Abstract

This paper is devoted to determination of elastic properties of composite constituents by using an inverse identification procedure. The aim of the developed identification procedure is to compute the elastic constants of individual material phases on the basis of known properties of composite materials. The inverse problem of identification has been solved by combining an evolutionary algorithm with a micromechanical model. The paper also focuses on selection of a suitable micromechanical model for optimization which should ensure a compromise between accuracy and complexity. Two different cases have been studied: composite reinforced with short cylindrical fibers and composite reinforced with cubic particles. Moreover, Monte Carlo simulations have been carried out to expose a difference in outcome of identification which may occur when uncertain input data is considered. Obtained results show that identification is successful only when properties of composite materials with at least two different volume fractions of the reinforcement are known.