ABSTRACT
To deeply investigate the effects of the geometric features of inclusions on the mechanical performance of composite materials, this study established the heterogeneous composite models by using the random generation approach, and employed the finite element simulation to obtain the overall stiffness of the models. The model sizes of 5 cm and 10 cm were employed to investigate the size effect on the stiffness. In addition, the inclusion volume content and interactions are analyzed, and the Eshelby theory was used to take into account of the inclusion shapes and locations. As a result, the inclusion volume content and interactions are consistent with the stiffness; however, the Eshelby theory can only be used when the heterogeneous models are relatively small or simple.
