Discussion of a new mechanical model for interpenetrating phase composites under compression considering constituent phase interactions

Abstract

Interpenetrating phase composites (IPCs) are a new type of materials with designable mechanical properties. In this work, to explore a simple, applicable, and accurate method for property designability of interpenetrated phase composites, the interaction between the matrix phase and the reinforcing phase of IPC under compressive stress is discussed, and a microstructured representative volume element is proposed for interpenetrating metal/polymer composites under compressive loading by considering the interaction of constituent phases. The stress–strain relationship of the representative volume element is established based on the iso-stress and iso-strain assumptions. Compared with the experimental results with those of interpenetrated metal/polymer composites, interpenetrated metal/metal composites, and interpenetrated metal/ceramic composites, it is shown that the analytical solutions can accurately predict the elasto-plastic compressive stress–strain curves.