Non-structural applications of composite materials have been rapidly growing in modern industry, and as a consequence functional polymer composites have emerged as ideal candidates. Despite their superior properties, high cost of new generation of fillers such as carbon nanotube is a huge drawback. Efforts are being devoted to investigate the feasibility of foaming as a potential strategy to induce percolation networks, thereby achieving ideal properties at low filler content.

In this research, Monte Carlo model is built to examine the effects of compression and tension on the percolation threshold of fibers in polymer composites to partially simulate cell growth. Fiber orientation and displacement effects are studied under numerous simulation conditions with various aspect ratios in 2-D and 3-D systems. The results in both systems confirm that increasing aspect ratio dramatically reduces critical concentration, and potential improvement of fiber interconnectivity through biaxial stretching is observed.