In structural materials with both brittle and ductile phases, cracks often initiate within the brittle phase and propagate dynamically towards the ductile phase. The macroscale, quasistatic toughness of the material thus depends on the outcome of this micr ...
Hierarchical composites, embodied by natural materials ranging from bone to bamboo, may offer combinations of material properties inaccessible to conventional composites. Using global load sharing (GLS) theory, a well-established micromechanics model for c ...
A family of interatomic potentials is constructed for which the intrinsic ductility can be tuned systematically. Specifically, the elastic constants and critical energy release rate for Griffith cleavage, G(Ic), are held constant, while the critical energy ...
An analytical model based on global load sharing (GLS) theory is developed to guide design of fiber-reinforced hybrid composites with superior mechanical properties to single-fiber-type composites. The hybrid is assumed to comprise two types of fibers-low- ...