Residual stresses and thermo-mechanical behavior of metal-matrix composites. Final draft report, Jul 82-Jul 83

A plastic flow code was used to calculate microscopic stress-temperature histories in metal-matrix composites during a cooling and reheating cycle. Stress results are given for graphite/aluminum, tungsten/aluminum and silicon carbide aluminum composites. For the graphite/aluminum material a parametric study was carried out on the effect of variations in various fiber properties on the calculated stresses. A computer code is presented for calculating the thermoelastic properties of cross-plied laminates from those of the individual plies on from the fiber and matrix properties appropriate to each ply. Modifications to a code developed previously for computing the properties of a unidirectionally reinforced composite from those of the fiber and matrix components are described. A two dimensional Fourier series solution is presented for determining the stresses and deformation of plates subjected to an arbitrary, transverse temperature distribution. Numerical results are given for several temperature profiles, including a discontinuous step-function distribution.