A modified Halpin–Tsai model for predicting the elastic modulus of composite materials

Abstract

Composite materials have been widely used in recent years due to an attractive combination of superior physical properties. Since the macroscopic properties of a composite material are determined by the microscopic structure of the bottom layers, it is critical to calculate the macroscopic elastic modulus of single-layer plates using the elastic modulus of the component material(s) in a scientific and effective manner. The traditional Halpin–Tsai model only considers two materials when calculating the macroscopic elastic modulus. This paper proposes an improved model considering three-phase components (fiber, matrix, and interface). A finite element representative volume element is created to determine the empirical parameter ξ, and its overall validity is established by comparing it with the experimental results. This improved model offers more convenience in predicting the macroscopic elastic modulus of a composite material and can even predict the overall mechanical properties based solely on the mechanical properties of the component material.