Transient creep strain of a fiber-reinforced metal-matrix composite under transverse loading

A local-field theory for studying the evolution of stress distribution in the ductile matrix and the time-dependent creep strain of a fiber-reinforced metal-matrix composite is developed by combining Mori-Tanaka's mean-field concept with Luo-Weng's solution for a three-phase cylindrically concentric solid. The theory is shown to provide a more accurate estimate of the overall transverse creep of the composite than the simple mean-field theory. The micromechanical theory proposed here is used to predict the transverse tensile creep of a Borsic/aluminum composite, and the results are found to be in good agreement with test data.