Application of fuzzy set theory in mechanics of composite materials

The field of composites mechanics, engineering and technology is relatively young, and the test methods and measurements techniques are not yet fully developed. The modeling of their mechanical properties is even further behind the experimental investigations. The study and application of composite materials is a truly interdisciplinary endeavor that has been enriched by contributions from chemistry, physics, material science and manufacturing engineering. Since numerous possibilities exist in combining constituents to form a composite there are many factors that can affect the global homogenized mechanical properties of composite materials, their behavior under different boundary and loading conditions, and their final failure. In fiber composites, both the fibers and the matrix retain their original physical and chemical identities, yet together they produce a combination of mechanical properties that cannot be achieved with either of the constituents acting alone, due to the presence of an interface between these two constituents. Thus, proper characterization of composites, whether it is for chemical, physical or mechanical properties, is extremely difficult because most interfaces are buried inside the material.