A refined Maxwell's scheme for calculating effective properties of composite layers

Effective properties of a composite coating layer bonded to an elastic substrate are evaluated by taking into account both the position of the representative volume element (RVE) within the coating layer and the substrate properties. The RVE characteristic size is explicitly introduced into the analysis as well. The size effects are incorporated by means of the two-layer Green's function. It is shown that the effective response of a composite coating in anti-plane deformation is determined by the thickness-variable shear modulus. A distinguishing feature of the developed refined Maxwell's scheme is that it allows for arbitrary anisotropy of the effective inclusion, which is assumed to be of circular shape.