ABSTRACT
As discussed in Chapter 7, the key mechanical properties of composite solids are shear modulus (G), Young’s modulus (E), Poisson’s ratio (υ), and bulk modulus (K). In isotropic materials (that is, no directional dependence of properties), only two of the four mechanical properties are independent. If two properties are fixed, the remaining two are automatically fixed. In Chapter 7, models for the mechanical properties of dilute composites were presented. In this chapter and the next (Chapter 10), the models for the mechanical properties of concentrated particulate composites are discussed in detail. The two mechanical properties chosen are Young’s modulus (E) and shear modulus (G). The present chapter deals with the Young’s modulus, and the following Chapter 10 focuses on the shear modulus of particulate composites.
