Volume Fraction
𝑣 , 𝑣 , and 𝑣 represent the volume of composite, fibre, and matrix, respectively. ρc, ρf, and
ρm represent the density of composite, fibre, and matrix.
Volume Fraction Equation:
𝑣 =𝑣 +𝑣
The total volume of the composite is the sum of the volumes of the fibre and matrix.
Dividing both sides by 𝑣 :
𝑣 𝑣
1= +
𝑣 𝑣
1=𝑉 +𝑉
Thus, 𝑉 = (Volume fraction of fibre)
The volume fraction of the fibre is the ratio of the fibre volume to the composite volume.
𝑉 = (Volume fraction of matrix)
The volume fraction of the matrix is the ratio of the matrix volume to the composite volume.
Mass Fraction:
Similarly, we define the mass fraction as:
𝜔
𝑊 =
𝜔
The mass fraction of the fibre is the ratio of the fibre weight to the composite weight.
𝜔
𝑊 =
𝜔
The mass fraction of the matrix is the ratio of the matrix weight to the composite weight.
Thus,
1=𝜔 +𝜔
The sum of the mass fractions of the fibre and matrix is equal to 1.
Mass of Components
𝜔 =𝜔 +𝜔
The total mass of the composite is the sum of the masses of the fibre and matrix.
𝜔 =𝜌 𝑣
1
The mass of the composite is its density multiplied by its volume.
𝜔 =𝜌 𝑣
The mass of the fibre is its density multiplied by its volume.
𝜔 =𝜌 𝑣
The mass of the matrix is its density multiplied by its volume.
Substituting and Rearranging:
𝜔 𝜌 𝑣
𝑊 = =
𝜔 𝜌𝑣
Since 𝑉 = , we get:
𝜌
𝑊 = 𝑉
𝜌
The mass fraction of the fibre is related to its volume fraction and the ratio of densities.
Density of the Composite
𝜌 =𝜌 𝑉 +𝜌 𝑉
The density of the composite can be expressed in terms of the densities and volume fractions of
the fibre and matrix. This is a "rule of mixtures" for densities.
Substituting Density into Mass Fraction Equation:
Substituting the expression for 𝜌 into the equation for 𝑊
𝜌
𝑊 = 𝑉
𝜌 𝑉 +𝜌 𝑉
This expresses the mass fraction of the fibre in terms of the densities and volume fractions of
both constituents.
Further Manipulation:
Dividing the numerator and denominator by 𝜌 :
𝜌
( 𝜌 )
𝑊 = 𝜌 𝑉
( 𝜌 )𝑉 + 𝑉
Dividing the numerator and denominator by Vm:
2
𝜌
( 𝜌 )
𝑊 = 𝜌 𝑉
( 𝜌 )𝑉 + 𝑉
Mass Fraction of Matrix:
By similar logic (or simply using Wm = 1 - Wf), you can derive the mass fraction of the
matrix:
o Wm = (ρm * Vm) / [ρf * Vf + ρm * Vm]
Mass Relationships:
𝜔 =𝜔 +𝜔
The total mass of the composite is the sum of the masses of the fibre and matrix.
Density and Volume Relationships:
𝜌 𝑣 =𝜌 𝑣 +𝜌 𝑣
The total mass of the composite is the sum of the masses of the fibre and matrix, expressed in
terms of densities and volumes.
Derived Density Equation:
Dividing the previous equation by 𝑣 :
𝑣 𝑣
𝜌 =𝜌 ( 𝑣 )+𝜌 ( 𝑣 )
Since 𝑉 = and 𝑉 = :
𝜌 =𝜌 𝑉 +𝜌 𝑉
This is the "rule of mixtures" for densities. It states that the density of the composite is the
weighted average of the densities of the fibre and matrix, where the weights are the volume
fractions.
Volume Fraction Relationship:
𝑣 = 𝑣 +𝑣
The total volume of the composite is the sum of the volumes of the fibre and matrix.
Dividing by 𝑣
𝑣 𝑣
1=( 𝑣 )+( 𝑣 )
The sum of the volume fractions is 1.
3
Mass, Density, and Volume Relationship:
𝜔 𝜔 𝜔
𝜌 = 𝜌 + 𝜌
This equation relates the mass, density, and volume of the composite and its constituents.
Further Manipulation:
Multiplying by 1 𝜔 :
1 1 𝜔 1 𝜔
𝜌 = 𝜌 ( 𝜔 )+ 𝜌 ( 𝜔 )
Since 𝑊 = and 𝑊 = :
1 𝑊 𝑊
𝜌 = 𝜌 + 𝜌
This equation expresses the reciprocal of the composite density in terms of the mass fractions
and the reciprocals of the constituent densities.
𝜌 : Density of the composite
𝜌 : Density of the fibre
𝜌 : Density of the matrix
𝑣 : Volume of the composite
𝑣𝑓 : Volume of the fibre
𝑣 : Volume of the matrix
𝜔 : Weight (mass) of the fibre
𝜔 : Weight (mass) of the matrix
𝜔 : Weight (mass) of the composite
𝑉 : Volume fraction of the fibre
𝑉 : Volume fraction of the matrix
𝑊 : Mass fraction of the fibre
𝑊 : Mass fraction of the matrix
