On plastic strain distribution and texture development in fiber composites

A model situation—plane-strain deformation of a composite with many infinitely long, regularly arranged, undeformable fibers perpendicular to the plane of straining—has been analyzed by finite-element simulation of an isotropic continuum and subsequent polycrystal simulation of texture development for the strain and rotation paths of some characteristic material points. The principal effect of the inclusions is a change in flow pattern in the areas far away from them; by comparison, “dead-zone” or “cluster” effects in the immediate vicinity of the inclusions are quite small in extent. The changed flow pattern in about half the matrix material consists of shears and rotations that change both with progressing deformation and with location. This causes significant alterations in texture development, which tend toward contributing a uniform background to the average matrix texture. However, other areas of the matrix do contribute definite texture components. The relevance of these conclusions to other geometries and loading paths is discussed.