Effective property estimates for composites containing multiple nanoheterogeneities
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The Effective Continuum Micromechanics Analysis Code (EC-MAC) was developed to predict effective properties of composites containing multiple distinct nanoheterogeneities (fibers, spheres, platelets, voids, etc.) each with an arbitrary number of coating layers based upon modified versions of either the Mori-Tanaka method and self consistent method. The influence of solid and hollow nanoreinforcement geometries, distinct elastic properties, and orientations are addressed (i.e., solid silica nanosphere/epoxy, hollow glass nanosphere/polyester, a-zirconium phosphate nanoplatelet/epoxy, and vapor grown carbon nanofiber/vinyl ester composites), along with the influence of voids. In addition, the effect of nanofiber waviness on bulk composite properties is accounted for using an approach developed by Hsiao and Daniel, and Fisher and colleagues. The notion of "effective volume fraction" is introduced to denote the fraction of nanoreinforcements that contribute to overall composite properties through their good dispersion. The predicted effective elastic moduli for a variety of nanocomposites matched well with experimental results from the literature.
