mechanical properties it can be for example the Young modulus,
the Poisson ratio or eventually the whole stiffness tensor. To take
into account possible imperfections or random factors one can
average the result for a series of tests representing the same macro
characteristics. The usual technology for this is to generate a series
of samples (representative volume elements) randomly, controlling
though their parameters, perform the computation for each
of them and average the result.
It is now generally accepted that the main characteristic affecting
the effective properties of a composite material is its morphology,
i.e. the combination of geometric characteristics of the
inclusions and their distribution in the supporting matrix. To analyze
the phenomenon one needs thus a tool to generate RVEs capturing
various morphological parameters. We have developed and
implemented such a tool: in [1] we described the algorithms to
produce the RVEs containing spheres (that represent globular inclusions)
and cylinders (that are responsible for fiber-type reinforcements).
We are able to reach the volume fraction of inclusions up
to relatively high values of 50–60%, and in addition we can control
the geometric configuration of a sample as a whole, namely manage
the intersections of inclusions and eventually their distribution.
Moreover in [2] we have extended the method to introduce irregularities
to the shape of inclusions. In this paper we describe the
results of computations carried out with the generated