The orientation of the inclusions within the polymer matrix has a key influence on the material properties of the composite. It is described by the fiber orientation distribution function (ODF). To date, the ODF has been reconstructed with a series-based apporoach, which can lead to several anomalies in the functional form of the ODF. With the function-based reconstruction, these anomalies do not occur. We propose that using this method improves the prediction of the elastic properties of the composite. We have considered a flax fiber reinforced polypropylene composite. Numerical methods were used to reconstruct the ODF in both ways for different fiber orientations. An orientation averaging procedure was performed and stiffness tensors were obtained. The results show that both reconstructions return an equivalent prediction of the elastic properties, so it is sufficient to use the series-based reconstruction that is computationally less demanding.
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