Stress Field in Continuous Fiber-Reinforced Composites with Multiple Interfacial Layers

Abstract

Using the Composite Cylinders Assemblage (CCA) model, a generalized algorithm for the microstress analysis of multiply coated continuous fiber-reinforced composites under axisymmetric mechanical and/or hygrothermal loading is presented. An arbitrary number (p) of fiber coatings/layers (i.e., concentric interphases between fiber and matrix) are considered. All the p-phases are assumed to be transversely isotropic with respect to their stiffness and thermal and moisture expansion coefficients. Temperature and moisture fields can be different in each phase; uniform field becomes a specific case. Some of the earlier formulations reported in the literature, which are based on fouror five-phase CCA models, are derivable from the general algorithm presented in the paper. The formulation presented is expected to be useful especially for the analysis of metal-matrix composites where a number of reaction zones (phases) with distinctly different properties are found to exist between the coating and the matrix, or more than one type of coating is applied on the fiber.