The proposed model was verified experimentally using the model composites, Ti/TiB in situ composites of 5, 15 and 20vol.%TiB, which have a good interfacial bonding, suitable size and aspect ratio of TiB for a moderate diffusional accommodation rate, and no fine oxides.
It is found, by measuring the size of the fracture mirrors of failed glass fibers in model composites, that the in situ tensile strength of E-glass fibers in an epoxy matrix composite was degraded at a faster rate compared to the case of stress-free aging of glass fibers.
Utilizing the proposed method, the results of extensive computer simulations of conduction in model composite materials, in which the conductance distribution is broad and contains long-range correlations, are reported.
The feasibility of using Raman spectroscopy to map strain fields in model composites is demonstrated by means of two experiments.
The model is applied to analyse the dominant damage mechanisms in model composites with aluminium alloys matrix and spherical zirconia/silica reinforcement.
Depending on the type of surface treatment, glass fibers were shown to exhibit different nucleating effects, evaluated by induction time of crystallization, crystallization onset temperature as well as half-time of crystallization in model composites with 50% wt glass fibers.
In fact, the maximum loss modulus in these model composites was found to be about 20 times greater than that given by the theoretical Hashin-Shtrikman upper bound.
