Thermal Expansion Coefficients of Misoriented Short-Fiber Reinforced Composites
SourceThis paper examines the thermal expansion coefficients αc of hybrid composites containing two- or three-dimensionally misoriented transverse-isotropic short fibers under the assumption that in the thermal expansion problem the transverse-isotropic fiber can be characterized by its longitudinal Young's modulus, Poisson's ratio, longitudinal thermal expansion coefficient, and transverse one—that is, isotropic mechanical properties and transverse-isotropic thermal ones. The analysis is based upon the Eshelby's equivalent inclusion method and average induced strain approach, which can take into account the interaction among all fibers at different orientations. It is therefore suitable for intraply hybrid systems. Numerical results are presented to demonstrate the effects of the distribution of fibers on αc in the cases of carbon/glass/epoxy and carbon/Kevlar/epoxy composite. The effects of material constants on αc are presented in detail.