COMPOSITE MATERIAL - A combination of two or more materials to form a new material

system with enhanced material properties.

Reinforcement + Matrix = Composite

WHAT ARE COMPOSITES?

Composites: A combination of two or more materials
(reinforcement, resin, filler, etc.), differing in form or
composition on a macroscale. The constituents retain their
identities, i.e.., they do not dissolve or merge into each
other, although they act in concert. Normally, the
components can be physically identified and exhibit an
interface between each other.
Composites: Design materials with properties better than
those of conventional materials (metals, ceramics, or
polymers).
Composites: are combinations of two materials in which
one of the materials, called the reinforcing phase, is in the
form of fibers, sheets, or particles, and is embedded in the
other materials called the matrix phase. The reinforcing
material and the matrix material can be metal, ceramic, or
polymer.

PHASES OF COMPOSITES:
 Matrix Phase: Polymers, Metals,
Ceramics
 Reinforcement Phase: Fibers, Particles, or Flakes

FACTORS IN CREATING COMPOSITES :

 Factors in creating composites:
– Matrix material
– Reinforcement material
CLASSIFICATION OF COMPOSITES:
Composite materials are commonly classified at following two distinct levels:
1. The first level of classification: is usually made with respect to the
matrix constituent. The major composite classes include Organic Matrix
Composites (OMCs), Metal Matrix Composites (MMCs) and Ceramic
Matrix Composites (CMCs). The term organic matrix composite is
generally assumed to include two classes of composites, namely Polymer
Matrix Composites (PMCs) and carbon matrix composites commonly
referred to as carbon-carbon composites.
2. The second level of classification: refers to the reinforcement form -
fiber reinforced composites, laminar composites and particulate
composites. Fiber reinforced composites can be further divided into
those containing discontinuous or continuous fibers.

CLASSIFICATION BASED ON MATRIX PHASE:

The matrix phase of fibrous composites may be a

metal, polymer, or ceramic. In general, metals and
polymers are used as matrix materials because
some ductility is desirable; for ceramic-matrix
composites the reinforcing component is added to
improve fracture toughness
Polymer Matrix Composites (PMC)/Carbon
Matrix Composites or Carbon-
Carbon Composites
Matrix Composites (MMC)

Ceramic Matrix Materials (CMM)

FUNCTIONS OF MATRIX :
In a composite material, the matrix material serves the following functions:
 Holds the fibers together.
 Protects the fibers from environment.
 Distributes the loads evenly between fibers so that all fibers are subjected to the
same amount of strain.
 Enhances transverse properties of a laminate.
 Improves impact and fracture resistance of a component.
  Helps to avoid propagation of crack growth through the fibers
by providing alternate failure path along the interfacebetween
the fibers and the matrix.

POLYMER MATRIX COMPOSITES (PMC) /CARBON MATRIX COMPOSITES:

-Polymer-matrix composites (PMCs) consist of a polymer resin as the matrix, with fibers as the
reinforcement medium.

METAL-MATRIX COMPOSITES:
-As the name implies, for metal-matrix composites (MMCs) the matrix is a ductile metal.
These materials may be utilized at higher service temperatures than their base metal
counterparts; furthermore, the reinforcement may improve specific stiffness, specific strength,
abrasion resistance, creep resistance, thermal conductivity and dimensional stability.
CERAMIC-MATRIX COMPOSITES:
-The fracture toughness of ceramics have been improved significantly by the development of a
new generation of ceramic-matrix composites (CMCs). Ceramic-matrix composite materials
have extended fracture toughness to between about 6 and 20 MPa.

CLASSIFICATION BASED ON REINFORCEMENTS:

Fiber Reinforced
Composites/Fiber Reinforced
Polymer (FRP) Composites

Particulate Reinforced Composites (PRC)

Laminar Composites

FIBER REINFORCED COMPOSITES/FIBER REINFORCED POLYMERS (FRP)

COMPOSITES:
Fiber Reinforced Composites
-are composed of fibers embedded in matrix material.
Fiber Reinforced Polymer (FRP) Composites:
"A matrix of polymeric material that is reinforced by fibers
other reinforcing material”
 1. GLASS FIBER-REINFORCED POLYMER (GFRP) COMPOSITES:
Fiberglass is simply a composite consisting of glass fibers, either continuous or discontinuous,
contained within a polymer matrix; this type of composite is produced in the largest quantities.

2. CARBON FIBER-REINFORCED POLYMER (CFRP) COMPOSITES:

Carbon is a high-performance fiber material that is the most commonly used reinforcement in
advanced (i.e., non-fiberglass) polymer-matrix composites.
3. ARAMID FIBER-REINFORCEDPOLYMER COMPOSITES:
Aramid fibers are high-strength, high- modulus materials that were introduced in the early
1970s. They are especially desirable for their outstanding strength-to weight ratios, which are
superior to metals.
4. CARBON–CARBON COMPOSITES
One of the most advanced and promising engineering material is the carbon fiber reinforced
carbon-matrix composite, often termed a carbon–carbon composite; as the name implies,
both reinforcement and matrix are carbon.

5. HYBRID COMPOSITES
A relatively new fiber-reinforced composite is the hybrid, which is obtained by using two or more
different kinds of fibers in a single matrix; hybrids have a better all-around combination of
properties than composites containing only a single fiber type.

PARTICLE-REINFORCED COMPOSITES:

Particulate Composites: are composed of particles distributed or embedded in a matrix body. The
particles may be flakes or in powder form. Concrete and wood particle boards are examples of
this category.

Large-particle and dispersion- strengthened composites are the two sub classifications of
particle-reinforced composites.

LARGE-PARTICLE AND DISPERSION- STRENGTHENED COMPOSITES:

Concrete is a common large-particle composite in which both matrix and dispersed phases are
ceramic materials.

Metals and metal alloys may be strengthened and hardened by the uniform dispersion of several
volume percent of fine particles of a very hard and inert material. The dispersed phase may be
metallic or nonmetallic; oxide materials are often used.
LAMINAR COMPOSITES:
A LAMINAR COMPOSITE is composed of two-dimensional sheets or panels that have
preferred high-strength direction such as is found inwoodand continuous and aligned fiber-
reinforced plastics.

COMMON CATEGORIES OF COMPOSITE MATERIALS BASED ON FIBER LENGTH:

1. Fibers as the reinforcement (Fibrous Composites):

a. Random fiber (short fiber) reinforced
composites
b. Continuous fiber (long fiber)
reinforced composites

2. Particles as the reinforcement (Particulate composites):

3. Flat flakes as the reinforcement

(Flake composites):

4. Fillers as the reinforcement (Filler composites):

