Mechanical properties of composite materials can be improved by tailoring their microstructures. Optimal microstructures of composites, which ensure desired properties of composite materials, can be determined in computational experiments. The subject of this book is the computational analysis of interrelations between mechanical properties (e.g., strength, damage resistance stiffness) and microstructures of composites. The methods of mesomechanics of composites are reviewed, and applied to the modelling of the mechanical behaviour of different groups of composites. Individual chapters are devoted to the computational analysis of the microstructure- mechanical properties relationships of particle reinforced composites, functionally graded and particle clusters reinforced composites, interpenetrating phase and unidirectional fiber reinforced composites, and machining tools materials.

This work is focused on the prediction of elastic behavior of short-fiber reinforced composites by mean-field homogenization methods, which account for experimentally determined and artificially constructed microstructure data in discrete and averaged form. The predictions are compared with experimental measurements and a full-field voxel-based approach. It is investigated, whether the second-order orientation tensor delivers a sufficient microstructure description for such predictions.

The idea for this book came out of the EURESCO Conference on High Performance Fibers: Euroconference on Fiber Fracture in 2000. Many of the books that are currently available look at different aspects of fiber processing, properties, or applications, but none are focussed on the fracture behaviour of fibers. This book presents the mechancisms and models of fiber fracture currently available for both natural and synthetic fibers, and it is expected that increasingly there will be cross fertilization between the fields, opening new frontiers in academic research and more competitive products for industry. It covers the following areas of fiber fracture: ceramic fibers; glass fibers; carbon filters; metallic fibers and thin wires; polymeric fibers; and carbon nanotubes.

This accessible text presents a unified approach of treating the microstructure and effective properties of heterogeneous media. Part I deals with the quantitative characterization of the microstructure of heterogeneous via theoretical methods; Part II treats a wide variety of effective properties of heterogeneous materials and how they are linked to the microstructure, accomplished by using rigorous methods.

The leading international authorities bring together in this contributed volume the latest research and current thinking on advanced fiber reinforced cement composites. Under rigorous editorial control, 13 chapters map out the key properties and behaviour of these materials, which promise to extend their applications into many more areas in the coming years.