Influence of the geometry and material properties on the dynamic stress field in the matrix containing a spheroidal particle reinforcement

The fracture and fatigue properties of particle reinforced composites are greatly influenced by stress concentration around the reinforcements. This study investigates the stress concentration around a prolate spheroidal particle that is embedded in an elastic matrix and subjected to asymmetric dynamic loading. A hybrid technique that combines the finite element method with spherical wave functions is used to study the problem. The stress concentrations within the matrix at the matrix-particle interface are found to be dependent on the frequency of excitation, aspect ratio of the particle and the material properties of both matrix and particle. The study reveals that the dynamic stress concentration can reach much higher values than the corresponding static case. (C) 2011 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.