TRANSIENT TEMPERATURE DISTRIBUTION IN A COMPOSITE WITH PERIODIC MICROSTRUCTURE

An approach based on the assumption of periodicity of the composite st ructure is utilized to develop a method for the calculation of transie nt temperature profiles in layered, fibrous or particulate composites. The periodic microstructure gives rise to a temperature perturbation, which is represented by an implicit integral equation in the Fourier transform space. Fiber-matrix and fiber-fiber interactions at high vol ume fractions are accounted for by Laue interference integrals calcula ted in closed form. The effective material properties are found to be time dependent. For one-dimensional problems the transient effective t hermal composite properties are shown to undergo a transition from the rule-of-mixtures value (Voigt average) at time zero to the steady-sta te value (rule-of-harmonic-means or Reuss average) at time infinity.