Contact study between fiber and matrix in composite materials

Resumo

Composite materials are widely used in engineering, and can be exemplified with reinforced concrete,
one of the main inputs of civil construction. Given its importance in the area, the contact behavior between the
components of these materials was studied, that is, between the matrix and the inclusions. Thus, this paper presents
a study of how different parameters influence the distribution of internal stresses in composites due to external
loads. Several computational models were analyzed using the finite element method, in models with only one
inclusion (fiber or particle), which were evaluated considering how different values of the modulus of elasticity,
Poisson’s ratio and friction coefficient influence the stress concentrations present in the contact between inclusion
and matrix. Furthermore, the models were analyzed under two premises, one where there is a possible detachment
between the matrix and the inclusions and another where the contact is fully-Bonded. The graphics elaborated
from the results of these models clearly show the influence of the various parameters studied, whose the performed
analysis can be used for the production of increasingly efficient composite materials