Homogenization of elastic–viscoplastic heterogeneous materials: Self-consistent and Mori-Tanaka schemes

This paper deals with the prediction of the macroscopic behavior of a multiphase elastic–viscoplastic material. The proposed homogenization schemes are based on an interaction law postulated by Molinari et al. [Molinari, A., Ahzi, S., Kouddane, R. 1997. On the self-consistent modelling of elastic–plastic behavior of polycrystals. Mech. Mater., 26, 43–62]. Self-consistent schemes are developed to describe the behavior of disordered aggregates. The Mori-Tanaka approach is used to capture the behavior of composite materials, where one phase can be clearly identified as the matrix. The proposed schemes are developed within a general framework where compressible elasticity and anisotropy of the materials are taken into account. Inclusions can have various shapes and orientations. Illustrations of the homogenization procedure are given for a two-phase composite materials. Comparisons between results of the literature and predictions based on the interaction law are performed and have demonstrated the efficiency of the proposed homogenization schemes.