Note 8

Henrik Myhre Jensen

Voigt and Reuss models, bounds on moduli and compliances

Take a RVE of volume V containing inclusions, 1 , 2 , n with the total volume .

Each of these inclusions or constituents are described by constitutive relations of the type
c c c c ij = E ijkl c or ij = Cijkl c kl kl

(8.1)

where superscript ( )c denotes a constituent. In the Voigt model, assume that the RVE is subject to a homogeneous strain, ij , and this strain is assumed to be the same in all inclusions. Note, that this is a kinematically admissible field. By the definition (6.8), the overall stress for the RVE is

ij =

1 1 local V ij dV = V V

M Eijkl M dV + kl

c Eijkl c dV kl

(8.2)

where the matrix M with the volume V- denotes everything in the RVE outside the inclusions. The local strain is assumed to be the same in all inclusion and the matrix and identical to the overall strain ij . As a consequence

ij =

n 1 M c (V )E ijkl + c E ijkl kl V c =1

(8.3)

Or, put in another way, in the Voigt model the overall composite moduli relating overall stresses to overall strains are

voigt E ijkl =

c E
c c=1

n+1

c ijkl

(8.4)

where cc denotes the relative volume fraction of the various constituents (inclusions and matrix) and where the matrix is defined as the n+1 constituent. In the Reuss model assume as a statically admissible field that all inclusions and the matrix are subject to the same homogenous stress field identical to the overall stress field. Then

ij =

1 1 local V ij dV = V V

M M Cijkl kl dV +

Cc c dV ijkl kl

(8.5)

and in a similar fashion as before

n 1 M (V )Cijkl + cCc kl ijkl V c =1

ij =

(8.6)

so that the overall compliances of the composite material is

reuss Cijkl =

c C
c c=1

n+1

c ijkl

(8.7)

We will next show that the Voigt and Reuss models yield values for the moduli and compliance of the composite material, which are upper bounds to the real moduli and compliances of the composite. Denote by Eijkl and Cijkl the true average moduli and compliances of the composite, and ij and ij are the true average stresses and strains for the RVE. I.e.

ij = Eijkl kl or ij = Cijkl kl

(8.9)

where ij and ij are volume averages of the local stresses and strains according to

ij =

1 1 local local V ij dV and ij = V V ij dV V

The local stresses and strains are solutions to the boundary value problem

local n j = t io and u i = u io on S ij local = 0 ij, j and local = ij 1 local ( ui,j + ulocal ) in V j,i 2 (8.10)

Here t io and u io are the tractions and displacements, respectively given on a part of the surface S of the RVE. We will need the following expression
1 local ( u i,j + u local ) dV = j,i 2 1 2 (
V local local u i,j + ij u local ) dV = j,i

local local dV = ij ij

local ij

local ij

1 local local local local V 2 ( ij u i ),j + ( ji u i ),j dV =

(
V

local ij

local i ,j

(8.11)

dV =

tu
S o i

o i

dS

where the equilibrium conditions in (8.10) have been used in combination with Gauss divergence theorem. The average stresses and strains also satisfy

ijn j = t io and u i = u io on S ij, j = 0 and ij = 1 ( ui,j + u j,i ) in V 2 (8.12)

by which we get an expression similar to (8.11)

ijij dV =

ij

1 ( u i, j + u j,i ) dV = 2

( u )
V

ij i ,j

dV =

tu
S o i

o i

dS

(8.13)

And since ij and ij are averages over the volume

ijij dV = ijij V

(8.14)

As a result we get

ijij =

1 local local dV ij ij V V

(8.15)

Next, in order to show that Voigt and Reuss estimates of composite moduli and compliances are bounds to the true moduli and compliances define stresses, fic , and strains, fic , as fictitious ij ij stresses that would exist in an inclusion if that inclusion was subject to the average strain ij , i.e.
fic c ij = E ijkl kl

(8.16)

and as a fictitious strain that would exist in an inclusion if that inclusion was subject to the average stress ij , i.e.
fic = Cc kl ij ijkl

(8.17)

Since
fic local c local c local local ij ij = E ijkl kl ij = E ijkl ij kl = local kl = ij ij kl

(8.18)

local and local fic = ijij , we can formulate the following two identities ij ij

local local local fic local local local fic local fic local ij ij + ( ij ij )( ij ij ) = 2ij ij + ij ij ij ij ij ij fic local local = ij ij + 2 ( ij ij ) ij local local local local fic local local fic local fic local ij ij + ( ij ij )( ij ij ) = 2ij ij + ij ij ij ij ij ij fic local local = ijij + 2 ( ij ij ) ij

and

(8.19)

By the above we also have

local c fic c ij = E ijkl local , ij = Eijkl kl and kl fic c local c ij = Cijkl kl , ij = Cijkl local kl

(8.20)

so that the two second terms on the left hand side of (8.19) can be written

( (

local ij local ij

fic local c local ij )( ij ij ) = E ijkl ( local kl )( ij ij ) kl local fic c local ij )( ij ij ) = Cijkl ( ij ij )( local kl ) kl

(8.21)

By the symmetries of the tensors of elastic moduli and compliances and the requirements that the components of moduli and compliances cannot be negative the two terms in (8.21) are always positive or zero. By the reciprocal theorem (see the appendix in Note 6) we have

and therefore

ijijdV =

t u dS
S i i

local local ( ij ij )dV = ij local local ( ij ij

t (u )dV = u (t
S o i ij S o i

o i o i

u io )dS = 0 t io )dS = 0

(8.22)

Finally, by integrating (8.19) over the volume of the RVE, and using (8.22) along with the observation that both terms in (8.21) are non-negative we obtain the following result

Combining this with (8.15)

local local ij dV ij local local ij dV ij

fic ij ijdV fic ijij dV

Vijij ij ficdV and ij

V

Vijij ij ficdV ij
V

whereby

1 c ij kl E ijkl dV and V V 1 c ijkl CijdV Cijkl kl ij V V E ijkl kl ij Since these relations must be satisfied for any strain or stress state, the components of the Voigt and Reuss estimates of the composite moduli and compliances are upper bounds to the true values according to

E ijkl Cijkl

1 c E ijkl dV = V V

c E
c c=1

n+1

c ijkl

voigt = E ijkl

and

1 c V CijkldV = V

c C
c c=1

n+1

(8.23)
c ijkl

=C

reuss ijkl

Methods exist for improving these bounds, but these are beyond the scope of the present note.