random materials

The mechanical behavior of athermal random fiber networks embedding particulate inclusions is studied in this work. Composites in which the filler size is comparable with the mean segment length of the network are considered. Inclusions are randomly distributed in the network at various volume fractions, and cases in which fibers are rigidly bonded to fillers and in which no such bonding is imposed are studied separately. In the presence of inclusions, the small strain modulus increases, while the ability of the network to strain stiffen decreases relative to the unfilled network case.

If you're interested in stochastic finite element analysis, you might like to know that we've just published a paper that reviews the "practical" application of the method. The paper first outlines the main methods of incorporating uncertainty into engineering computations. It then presents "practical" examples across a range of disciplines of where these methods have been used.

We hope that this paper is a good starting point for those looking to adopt stochastics in their work.

Professor Martin Ostoja-Starzewski (University of Illinois
at Urbana-Champaign) will give a short course on Mechanics of Random and
Fractal Materials and Structures at the EMI 2013 Conference on August 4 at Northwestern