Homogenization of transverse elastic properties of Cf/Mg composites at an elevated temperature and containing a small fraction of liquid phase

Numerical homogenization is implemented to predict the transverse elastic properties of Cf/Mg composites at an elevated temperature and containing a small fraction of liquid phase, using the XFEM with the level set method. The material microstructure is generated in a repeated 2D RVE, in which the fibers, liquid matrix and solid matrix coexist, based on the RSA algorithm. The evolving material interfaces between the fibers and matrix and between the liquid matrix and solid matrix are represented as the zero value of a level set function. The local enrichment functions for these material interfaces are constructed based on the level set functions and the shape functions of finite elements. A set of the statistical analyses is performed and the simulation results demonstrate that it is sufficient to consider the size of RVE as the matrix/fiber aspect ratio L/d = 20 in the case of the fiber volume fraction of 35%. The effective transverse elastic properties of Cf/Mg composites would decrease with increasing the liquid volume fraction and with increasing the liquid volume concentration factor cl, while increase with increasing the liquid size.