Toshio Mura has written extensively on micromechanics over the years, and in part due to his writings and many others in the field, micromechanics has gradually emerged as a recognized discipline in the study of mechanics of materials. The idea is to bring both the mechanics and physics on the micro scopic level to the macroscopic scale, so that the deformation and fracture processes of materials can be better understood. While much apparently remains to be done, this approach has already shed new light on certain selected topics and has proved to be fruitful. It is indeed a happy occasion to celebrate both Toshio's upcoming 65th birthday and the emergence of this young science at the same time. The volume contains thirty-seven original articles on the related topics of micromechanics and inhomogeneity; it is presented to Toshio by his friends, colleagues, and admirers as a wish for his good health and continuing pro ductivity. The contributors belong to both the applied mechanics and the materials communities, all with a common belief that micromechanics is an indispensable area of research. It is hoped that this somewhat balanced structure will make the volume more useful to a wider range of readers, and that in the meantime it will still reflect more or less the spectrum of Toshio's lifelong works. As Editors we have at the outset set the highest possible standards for the book, with a keen anticipation that the volume will be widely circulated for many years to come.

This book on micromechanics explores both traditional aspects and the advances made in the last 10–15 years. The viewpoint it assumes is that the rapidly developing field of micromechanics, apart from being of fundamental scientific importance, is motivated by materials science applications. The introductory chapter provides the necessary background together with some less traditional material, examining e.g. approximate elastic symmetries, Rice’s technique of internal variables and multipole expansions. The remainder of the book is divided into the following parts: (A) classic results, which consist of Rift Valley Energy (RVE), Hill’s results, Eshelby’s results for ellipsoidal inhomogeneities, and approximate schemes for the effective properties; (B) results aimed at overcoming these limitations, such as volumes smaller than RVE, quantitative characterization of “irregular” microstructures, non-ellipsoidal inhomogeneities, and cross-property connections; (C) local fields and effects of interactions on them; and lastly (D) – the largest section – which explores applications to eight classes of materials that illustrate how to apply the micromechanics methodology to specific materials.

This book presents the micromechanics of random structure heterogeneous materials, a multidisciplinary research area that has experienced a revolutionary renascence at the overlap of various branches of materials science, mechanical engineering, applied mathematics, technical physics, geophysics, and biology. It demonstrates intriguing successes of unified rigorous theoretical methods of applied mathematics and statistical physics in material science of microheterogeneous media. The prediction of the behaviour of heterogeneous materials by the use of properties of constituents and their microstructure is a central problem of micromechanics. This book is the first in micromechanics where a successful effort of systematic and fundamental research of the microstructure of the wide class of heterogeneous materials of natural and synthetic nature is attempted. The uniqueness of the book lies in its development and expressive representation of statistical methods quantitatively describing random structures which are at most adopted for the forthcoming evaluation of a wide variety of macroscopic transport, electromagnetic, strength, and elastoplastic properties of heterogeneous materials.

Proceedings of the IUTAM-ISIMM Symposium, held in Nottingham, U.K., 30 August--3 September 1994

Presents Concepts That Can Be Used in Design, Processing, Testing, and Control of Composite MaterialsIntroduction to the Micromechanics of Composite Materials weaves together the basic concepts, mathematical fundamentals, and formulations of micromechanics into a systemic approach for understanding and modeling the effective material behavior of co

This book on micromechanics explores both traditional aspects and the advances made in the last 10–15 years. The viewpoint it assumes is that the rapidly developing field of micromechanics, apart from being of fundamental scientific importance, is motivated by materials science applications. The introductory chapter provides the necessary background together with some less traditional material, examining e.g. approximate elastic symmetries, Rice’s technique of internal variables and multipole expansions. The remainder of the book is divided into the following parts: (A) classic results, which consist of Rift Valley Energy (RVE), Hill’s results, Eshelby’s results for ellipsoidal inhomogeneities, and approximate schemes for the effective properties; (B) results aimed at overcoming these limitations, such as volumes smaller than RVE, quantitative characterization of “irregular” microstructures, non-ellipsoidal inhomogeneities, and cross-property connections; (C) local fields and effects of interactions on them; and lastly (D) – the largest section – which explores applications to eight classes of materials that illustrate how to apply the micromechanics methodology to specific materials.

This book elucidates the most recent and highly original developments in the fields of micro- and nanomechanics and the corresponding homogenization techniques that can be reliably adopted and applied in determining the local properties, as well as the linear and nonlinear effective properties of the final architecture of these complex composite structures. Specifically, this volume, divided into three main sections—Fundamentals, Modeling, and Applications—provides recent developments in the mathematical framework of micro- and nanomechanics, including Green’s function and Eshelby’s inclusion problem, molecular mechanics, molecular dynamics, atomistic based continuum, multiscale modeling, and highly localized phenomena such as microcracks and plasticity. It is a compilation of the most recent efforts by a group of the world’s most talented and respected researchers. Ideal for graduate students in aerospace, mechanical, civil, material science, life sciences, and biomedical engineering, researchers, practicing engineers, and consultants, the book provides a unified approach in compiling micro- and nano-scale phenomena. · Elucidates recent and highly original developments in the fields of micromechanics and nanomechanics and the corresponding homogenization techniques; · Includes several new topics that are not covered in the current literature, such as micromechanics of metamaterials, electrical conductivity of CNT and graphene nanocomposites, ferroelectrics, piezoelectric, and electromagnetic materials; · Addresses highly localized phenomena such as coupled field problems, microcracks, inelasticity, dispersion of CNTs, synthesis, characterization and a number of interesting applications; · Maximizes readers’ ability to apply theories of micromechanics and nanomechanics to heterogeneous solids; · Illustrates application of micro- and nanomechanical theory to design novel composite and nanocomposite materials.