Composites

What are composites?

Composite: Two or more chemically different
constituents combined macroscopically to yield
a useful material.
Examples of naturally occurring composites
Wood: Cellulose fibers bound by lignin matrix
Bone: Stiff mineral fibers in a soft organic
matrix
permeated with holes filled with liquids
Granite: Granular composite of quartz, feldspar,
and mica

What are composites?

Some examples of manmade composites
Concrete: Particulate composite of aggregates
(limestone or granite), sand, cement and water
Plywood: Several layers of wood veneer glued
together
Fiberglass: Plastic matrix reinforced by glass fibers
Cemets: Ceramic and metal composites
Fibrous composites: Variety of fibers (glass, kevlar,
graphite, nylon, etc.) bound together by a
polymeric matrix

Where are composites used?

Automotive industry: Lighter, stronger,
wear
resistance, rustfree, aesthetics
Car body
Brake pads
Drive shafts
Fuel tanks
Hoods
Spoilers

Where are composites used?

Aerospace: Lighter, stronger, temperature
resistance, smart structures, wear resistance
Aircraft: Nose, doors, struts, trunnion, fairings,
cowlings, ailerons, outboard and inboard flaps,
stabilizers, elevators, rudders, fin tips, spoilers,
edges
Rockets & missiles: Nose, body, pressure tanks,
frame, fuel tanks, turbomotor stators, etc.
Satellites: Antennae, frames, structural parts

Where are composites used?

Sports: Lighter, stronger, toughness, better
aesthetics, higher damping properties
Tennis
Bicycles
Badminton
Boats
Hockey
Golfing
Motorcycles

Where are composites used?

Transportation & Infrastructure: Lighter,

stronger, toughness, damping
Railway coaches
Bridges
Ships and boats
Dams
Truck bodies and floors
RV bodies

Where are composites used?

And many more industry sectors

Biomedical industry
Consumer goods
Agricultural equipment
Heavy machinery
Computers
Healthcare

Classification of Composites

Classification of Composites
Particulate composites have one or more
material particles suspended in a binding
matrix. A particle by definition is not long
visvis its own dimensions.
Fibrous composites have fibers of reinforcing
material(s) suspended in binding matrix.
Unlike particles, a fiber has high lengthto
diameter
ratio, and further its diameter may be close to
its crystal size.

Classification of Composites
Particulate composites:
Random orientation: Orientation of particle is randomly distributed in
all
directions (ex: concrete)
Preferred orientation: Particle orientation is aligned to specific
directions
(ex: extruded plastics with reinforcement particles)
Note: Particulate composites in general do not have high fracture
resistance unlike fibrous composites. Particles tend to increase stiffness
of the materials, but they do not have so much of an influence on
composites strength. In several cases, particulate composites are used
to enhance performance at high temperatures.
In other case, these composites are used to increase thermal and
electrical properties. In cemets, which are ceramicmetal composites, the
aim is to have high surface hardness so that the material can be used to
cut materials at high speeds, or is able to resist wear.

Classification of Composites
Fibrous Composites: In general, materials tend to
have much better thermomechanical properties at
small scale than at macroscale. This is shown in the
following table.
Material Fiber
strength( GPa)

Glass
0.7 2.1
Tungsten
1.1 4.1
Beryllium
0.7
Graphite
Very low

Tensile Strength (GPa)

3.5 to 4.6
4.2
1.3
2.1 to 2.2.5

Bulk Tensile

Classification of Composites
Fibrous Composites:
Singlelayer: These are actually made of several
layers of fibers, all oriented in the same direction.
Hence they are considered as singlelayer
composites. These can be further categorized as:
Continuous and long fibers: Examples include
filament wound shells. These may be further
classified as:
Unidirectional reinforcement
Bidirectional reinforcement

Classification of Composites
Fibrous Composites (continued):
Discontinuous and shortfibers: Examples include fiber
glass bodies of cars. These may be further classified as:
Randomly oriented reinforcement
Reinforced in preferred directions
Multilayer: Here, reinforcement is provided, layerby
layer in different directions.
Laminate: Here, the constituent material in all layers is
the same.
Hybrid laminates: These have more than one
constituent
materials in the composite structure.

Advantages of Composites
Composites are engineered materials. We can
engineer them specifically to meet our needs on a
casetocase basis.
In general, following properties
can be improved by using composite materials.
Strength , Electrical conductivity, Modulus ,
Thermal conductivity ,Weight , Behavior at
extreme temps, Fatigue, Acoustical insulation,
Vibration,
Resistance to wear, Resistance to corrosion

Types of matrix materials

METAL MATRIX COMPOSITES (MMCs)

A metal matrix composite (MMC) is
composite material with at least two
constituent parts, one being a metal.
The other material may be a different metal
or another material, such as a ceramic or
organic compound.
When at least three materials are present, it
is called a hybrid composite.

COMPOSITION
MMCs are made by dispersing a
reinforcing material into a metal
matrix. The reinforcement surface
can be coated to prevent a chemical
reaction with the matrix.
For
example,
carbon fibers
are
commonly used in aluminum matrix
to synthesize composites show.i.ng
low density and high strength.

MATRIX
The matrix is the monolithic material into
which the reinforcement is embedded, and is
completely continuous.
This means that there is a path through the
matrix to any point in the material, unlike two
materials sandwiched together.
The matrix is usually a lighter metal such as
aluminum, magnesium, or titanium, and
provides a compliant support for the
reinforcement.

REINFORCEMENT
The
reinforcement
material
embedded into the matrix.

is

It is used to change physical

properties such as wear resistance,
friction
coefficient,
or
thermal
conductivity.
The reinforcement can be
continuous, or discontinuous.

either

Reinforcements for metal matrix composites have a manifold demand

profile, which is determined by production and processing and by the
matrix system of the composite material. The following demands are
generally applicable:

Low density,
Mechanical compatibility (a thermal expansion coefficient which is low

but
Chemical compatibility,
Thermal stability,
High Youngs modulus,
High compression and tensile strength,
Good process ability,
Economic efficiency.

Classification based on Matrices

Composite
materials

Matrices

Polymer Matrix
Composites
(PMC)
Thermoset

Thermoplast
ic

Metal Matrix
Composites
MMC)
Rubber

Ceramic Matrix
Composites
(CMC)

What is a polymer?
Poly

mer
many

repeat unit

A polymer is a large molecule (macromolecule) composed of repeating

structural units typically connected by covalent chemical bonds

Examples of polymers:
repeat
unit

repeat
unit

H H H H H H
C C C C C C
H H H H H H

H H H H H H
C C C C C C
H Cl H Cl H Cl

Polyethylene (PE)

Polyvinyl chloride (PVC)

repeat
unit

H
C
H

H H
C C
CH3 H

H H
C C
CH3 H

Polypropylene (PP)

H
C
CH3

Polymer Matrix Composite (PMC) is the material consisting of a

polymer (resin) matrix combined with a fibrous reinforcing dispersed
phase.
Polymer Matrix Composites are very popular due to their low cost
and simple fabrication methods.

Polymer(Matrix)
Composite (Matrix + Reinforcement)
Discontinuous phase - Reinforcement
Continuous phase
- Matrix
Reinforcements
Principal load bearing member.
Matrix
provides a medium for binding and holding the reinforcements
together into a solid.
protects the reinforcement from environmental degradation.
serves to transfer load from one insert (fibre, flake or particles) to
the other.
Provides finish, colour, texture, durability and other functional
properties.

Classification of Polymers
Linear polymer - Any polymer in which molecules are in
the form of chains.
Thermoplastic polymers - Linear or branched polymers in
which chains of molecules are not interconnected to one
another.
Thermosetting polymers - Polymers that are heavily
cross-linked to produce a strong three dimensional
network structure.
Elastomers - These are polymers (thermoplastics or
lightly cross-linked thermosets) that have an elastic
deformation > 200%.

Thermosetting resins are the most widely used polymers in PMCs.

Epoxy and polyester are commonly mixed with fiber reinforcement.
The most widely used form is a laminar structure, made by stacking
and bonding thin layers of fiber and polymer until the desired
thickness is obtained.
Fibers in PMCs

Various forms: discontinuous (chopped), continuous or woven as a

fabric
Principal fiber materials in FRPs are glass, carbon, and Kevlar 49.
Less common fibers include boron, SiC, Al2O3 and steel.
Glass (in particular Eglass) is the most common fiber material in
today's FRPs; its use to reinforce plastics dates from around 1920.

Polymerisation:
This is the process of joining monomers into gaint chain like molecules.
Methods of Polymerisation:
Condensation polymerisation
Addition polymerisation

Degree of polymerization = No of monomer units in a chain

103 to 105

Thermosets

Thermoset materials are usually liquid or malleable prior to curing,

and designed to be molded into their final form.

Has the property of undergoing a chemical reaction by the action

of heat, catalyst, ultraviolet light, etc., to become a relatively
insoluble and infusible substance.

They develop a well-bonded three-dimensional structure upon

curing. Once hardened or cross-linked, they will decompose
rather than melt.

Thermoset materials are generally stronger than thermoplastic

materials due to this 3-D network of bonds, and are also better
suited to high-temperature applications up to the decomposition
temperature of the material.