Effect of Prestress on the Mechanical Performance of Composites

Abstract

Bodies are prestressed with the intention to enhance the load-carrying capacity of the body. The primary objective of this study is to understand the effect of prestressing the constituents in composite bodies on the overall mechanical performance of the composites. This paper considers composites having linearized viscoelastic constituents that can exhibit fluidlike and solidlike behavior. It also examines the effect of stress relaxation in a component of the prestressed composite on the overall load-carrying capacity of the composite. The properties of the composite, whether a brittle inclusion embedded in ductile matrix or a ductile inclusion in brittle matrix, are greatly influenced by the ratio of the induced prestress with respect to the external load and thereby influence the load-carrying capacity of the composite.