Analyzing the effect of fiber reinforcement on properties of syntactic foams

Interest in fiber-reinforced hollow particle filled composites (syntactic foams) is increasing in recent times and several experimental studies are available evaluating mechanical properties of such composites. The present study uses numerical simulations to evaluate the effect of the presence of fibers on the modulus and the stress distribution in syntactic foams. The numerical results show a close match with the experimental data obtained from a published study. It is observed that in composites containing thin-walled hollow particles the maximum stress is located in the particle wall, whereas increasing the wall thickness results in shifting the location of maximum stress to the fiber. The study provides an insight into the use of particle wall thickness in controlling the properties of fiber-reinforced hollow particle composites.