ABSTRACT
This chapter presents mechanical behavior of metal matrix composites largely has been confined to simple property measurements and test configurations. Solutions are derived for a heterogeneous material with assumed continuity conditions involving the bonding of the matrix to the fiber. Coupled with mathematical analyses, the constitutive equations for the composite as a whole can be predicted. This makes possible the subsequent treatment of unidirectional composites as macroscopically homogeneous bodies. Predictions of the response of a unidirectionally reinforced composite were based initially upon postulated states of stress and load transfer mechanisms. The relation between micro and macromechanics is thus established as the dependence of the response of structural members to the mechanical properties of the constituents of the composites. In metal-matrix systems, unidirectionally reinforced composites can sometimes be used since off-axis loads can be sustained by the metal matrix.
