Thermal Stresses in Composites with Ellipsoidal Inclusions

This book presents original mathematical models of thermal stresses in composite materials, along with mathematical models of thermal-stress induced micro-/macro-strengthening and thermal-stress induced intercrystalline or transcrystalline crack formation. The mathematical determination results from mechanics of an isotropic elastic continuum. The materials consist of an isotropic matrix with isotropic ellipsoidal inclusions. The thermal stresses are a consequence of different thermal expansion coefficients of the matrix and ellipsoidal inclusions.The mathematical models include microstructural parameters of a real matrix-inclusion composite, and are applicable to composites with ellipsoidal inclusions of different morphology (e.g., dual-phase steel, martensitic steel). In case of a real matrix-inclusion composite, such numerical values of the microstructural parameters can be determined, which result in maximum values of the micro- and macro-strengthening, and which define limit states with respect to the intercrystalline or transcrystalline crack formation in the matrix and the ellipsoidal inclusion. This numerical determination is performed by a programming language.