Effects of particle shape on the macroscopic and microscopic linear behaviors of particle reinforced composites

A systematic comparison of inhomogeneity shape effects on the linear elastic, thermoelastic and thermal conduction responses of particle reinforced composites is carried out. For this purpose, multi-particle unit cells that contain randomly positioned and, where applicable, oriented, identical particles having the shapes of spheres, regular octahedra, cubes or regular tetrahedra, respectively, and a volume fraction of 20% are employed. The macroscopic moduli and microscopic responses, such as phase averages, as well as phase-level standard deviations and distribution functions of the microfields are evaluated and compared to analytical estimates. The results indicate the presence of relatively small but consistent effects of the particle shape on the effective behavior of particulate composites. Effects on the microscopic stress and flux fields are predicted to be more pronounced.