Secondary phase distribution analysis via finite body tessellation

The concept of a Dirichlet tessellation has been extended to that of a 'fin ite body' tessellation to provide a more meaningful description of the spat ial distribution of nonspherical secondary phase bodies on two-dimensional sections. A finite body tessellation consists of a network of cells constru cted from the interfaces of each individual secondary phase body such that every point within a cell is closer to the corresponding body than to any o ther. Spatial distribution related cell characteristics derived from Dirich let tessellations have been extended to finite body tessellations. Quantita tive comparisons between the two methods indicate that finite body tessella tion measurements are more physically representative as well as more sensit ive to local distribution characteristics of secondary phases. To reflect t he potential application of finite body tessellations, a methodology is des cribed for analysing the effects of particle distribution and morphology on short crack behaviour in particulate reinforced metal matrix composites.