TABLE OF CONTENTS Composite materials are simply a combination of two or more different materials that may provide superior and unique mechanical and physical properties. The most attractive composite systems effectively combine the most desirable properties of their constituents and simultaneously suppress the least desirable properties. For example, a glass-fiber reinforced plastic combines the high strength of thin glass fibers with the ductility and environmental resistance of an epoxy resin; the inherent damage susceptibility of the fiber surface is thereby suppressed whereas the low stiffness and strength of the resin is enhanced.
The opportunity to develop superior products for aerospace, automotive, and recreational applications has sustained the interest in advanced composites. Currently composites are being considered on a broader basis, specifically, for applications that include civil engineering structures such as bridges and freeway pillar reinforcement, and for biomedical products such as prosthetic devices. The recent trend toward affordable composite structures with a somewhat decreased emphasis on performance will have a major impact on the wider exploitation of composites in engineering.
Composites typically comprise a high-strength synthetic fiber embedded within a protective matrix. The most mature and widely used composite systems are polymer matrix composites (PMCs), which will provide the major focus for this chapter. Contemporary PMCs typically use a ceramic type of reinforcing fiber such as carbon, Kevlar ;, or glass in a resin matrix wherein the fibers make up approximately 60 percent of the PMC volume. Metal or ceramic matrices can...
