An enriched continuum model for the design of a hierarchical composite

Hierarchical composites comprise two or more constituent phases where at least one phase is itself a composite at a finer scale. We present a multiscale secant Mori–Tanaka method incorporating length scale effects to describe the composite response. The applicability of the model is illustrated for the Al-based composite developed by Ye et al. [Scripta Materialia 53 (2005) 481], which exhibits impressive strength and some ductility. This rapid analytical approach enables numerical experiments that yield optimal composite architecture to be performed.