A study on impact behavior of composites reinforced by randomly distributed spherical particles

Abstract

A study on the impact behavior of a metal matrix composite reinforced by randomly distributed spherical particles was conducted numerically. A representative volume element was generated by Geodict2009, a commercial package, with various volume fractions and different ratios of modulus of the constituents. A homogenization technique was then applied to evaluate the equivalent properties of the material. The impact behavior was investigated with the equivalent properties. Elastic and elasto-plastic behaviors of the matrix were considered in the analysis. The analysis, conducted using LS DYNA, shows that the maximum displacement of the structure under impact was dependent on the volume fraction and the ratio of the constituent's modulus.