Effect of an inhomogeneous interphase zone on the bulk modulus and conductivity of a particulate composite

A model is presented of a particulate composite containing spherical inclusions, each of which are surrounded by a localized region in which the elastic moduli vary smoothly with radius. This region may represent an interphase zone in a composite, or the transition zone around an aggregate particle in concrete, for example. An exact solution is derived for the displacements and stresses around a single inclusion in an infinite matrix, subjected to a far-field hydrostatic compression, and is then used to derive an approximate expression for the effective bulk modulus of a material containing a random dispersion of these inclusions. The analogous conductivity (thermal, electrical, etc.) problem is then discussed, and it is shown that the expression for the normalized effective conductivity corresponds exactly to that for the normalized effective bulk modulus, if the Poisson ratios of both phases are set to zero.