A self-consistent mechanics method for solids containing inclusions and a general distribution of cracks (Q1341947)

The damage in a composite material due to a distribution of cracks manifests itself as a reduction of moduli and/or change in elastic constants. This paper presents the effective elastic moduli of a solid containing inclusions and a general distribution of tunnel cracks. Both in-plane and out-of-plane elastic constants are determined. In addition to crack density and inclusion volume fraction, the effective elastic constants are found to depend on a function which characterizes the crack orientation distribution, while the anisotropy of a cracked composite is solely induced by the crack orientation distribution.