An Assignment on

“APPLICATION OF COMPOSITE
MATERIALS FOR DIFFERENT
MECHANICAL COMPONENTS”
By

Jivan Tidake
Prathmesh Agawane

Guided By

Mr. S. T. Jagadale

Department of Mechanical Engineering

Sinhgad Technical Education Society’s

R.M.D. Sinhgad School of Engineering,Pune
[2017-18]
 Acknowledgement
Every orientation work has imprint of many people and this work is no different. This work
gives us an opportunity to express deep gratitude for the same.

While preparing the seminar report, we received endless help from number of people. This
report would be incomplete if we don’t convey our sincere thanks to all those who were
involved.

We would like to thank Mr. S. T. Jagdale for helping & guiding us in making this assignment
by giving his precious time to us.
Abstract
Fibre-reinforced polymer composite materials are fast gaining ground as preferred materials
for construction of aircrafts and space crafts. In particular, their use as primary structural
materials in recent years in several technology-demonstrator front-line aerospace projects
world-wide has provided confidence leading to their acceptance as prime materials for
aerospace vehicles. This report gives a review of some of these developments with a
discussion of the problems with the present generation composites and prospects for further
developments. Although several applications in the aerospace vector are mentioned, the
emphasis of the review is on applications of composites as structural materials where they
have seen a significant growth in usage. A brief review of composites usage in aerospace
sector is first given. The nature of composite materials behaviour and special problems in
designing and working with them are then highlighted. The issues discussed relate to the
impact damage and damage tolerance in general, environmental degradation and long-term
durability.
1. INTRODUCTION
Composites are one of the most widely used materials because of their adaptability to
different situations and the relative ease of combination with other materials to serve specific
purposes and exhibit desirable properties. In surface transportation, reinforced plastics are the
kind of composites used because of their huge size. They provide ample scope and
receptiveness to design changes, materials and processes. The strength-weight ratio is higher
than other materials. Their stiffness and cost effectiveness offered, apart from easy
availability of raw materials, make them the obvious choice for applications in surface
transportation. In heavy transport vehicles, the composites are used in processing of
component parts with cost-effectiveness. Good reproductively and resilience handling by
semi-skilled workers are the basic requirements of a good composite material. While the
costs of achieving advanced composites may not justify the savings obtained in terms of
weight vis-a-vis vehicle production, carbon fibres reinforced epoxies have been used in
racing cars and recently for the safety of cars. Polyester resin with suitable fillers and
reinforcements were the first applications of composites in road transportation. The choice
was dictated by properties like low cost, ease in designing and production of functional parts
etc. Using a variety of reinforcements, polyester has continued to be used in improving the
system and other applications. Most of the thermoplastics are combined with reinforcing
fibers in various proportions. Several methods are used to produce vehicle parts from thermo
plastics. Selection of the material is made from the final nature of the component, the volume
required, apart from cost-effectiveness and mechanical strength. Components that need
conventional paint finishing are generally made with thermosetting resins, while
thermoplastics are used to build parts that are moulded and can be pigmented. Press moulded
reinforced polyester possess the capability to produce large parts in considerable volume with
cost-effectiveness. In manufacturing of automobile parts, glass and sisal fibres usually find
the maximum use. Sisal costs very less and this alone has prompted extensive research to
come up with applications in which sisal is the dominant reinforcing material in filled
polyester resin, in parts where specific mechanical properties are required and appearance is
not very important. Heater housings, which find uses for sisal, are produced by compression
moulding. Since a variety of glass fibres are available, it is used as reinforcement for a large
range of parts of different types. A reinforced-plastic composite is likely to cost more than
sheet steel, when considered on the basis of cost and performance. In such a case, other
qualities must necessarily justify the high expenditure. Mechanical properties of the parts,
which affect the thickness and weight, must offer enough savings to render them more
effective than steel. It however shows a higher machining waste than reinforced plastics.
Hatch covers in hopper cars etc. Glass fibre reinforced plastic, used for containers, is also
used for panelling in rail cars. Fibreglass has been the flexible insulation material of choice
for these vehicles. The principal design criterion for transport vehicles involves conditions
that the structural weight must be minimized to conserve raw material, trio logical factors and
at the same time remain the least polluting.
2. CLASSIFICATION OF COMPOSITE MATERIALS
There are many ways to classify composite materials. For example, in accordance with the
reinforcing principle, there are diffusion-enhanced composite materials, particle-enhanced
composite materials and fibre-reinforced composite materials. Based on different application
requirement, there are structural and functional composite materials. Functional composite
materials, in accordance with its function, can also be divided into electrical functional
composite materials, thermal functional composite materials, optical functional composite
materials, and so on. According to different preparation processes, it is classified as laminated
composite materials, winding structural composites, pultrusion composite materials, textile
structural composite materials and so on.

According to the meaning of composite materials and its naming principles in this book, the
classification of composite materials is shown in follows.

(1) Classification in accordance with the type of matrix material.

1. Metal matrix composites (MMC’s);

2. Inorganic non-metallic matrix composite materials;
3. Polymer matrix composites (PMC’s).

(2) Classification in accordance with the form of dispersed phase.

1. Continuous fibre-reinforced composite materials;

2. Fibrous fabric, braid reinforced composite materials; sheet reinforced composite
materials;
3. Short fibre or whisker reinforced composite materials;
4. Particle reinforced composite materials;
5. Nano-meter particle reinforced composite materials.

(3) Classification in accordance with the type of reinforcing fibres.

1. Carbon fibre composite material;

2. glass fibre composite materials;
3. organic fibre composite materials;
4. boron fibre or silicon carbide fibre composite materials;
5. Hybrid fibre composite materials.
3. APPLICATIONS OF COMPOSITE MATERIALS

a) General Aviation Applications

Composite materials are being used for different helicopter components as well. Use of
advanced composites in helicopter application started way back in 1959 with the
development of Optimum Pitch Blade for the XCH-47 twin rotor helicopter of Vertol Aircraft
Corporation. There-after, use of composites in helicopter application has been progressively
extended to various parts, which include main & tail rotor blades, stabilizers and fuselage
portions. Experience has shown that GFRP main rotor blades have a service life of around
10,000 hours as compared to blades with steel/titanium spars, which have a life of around
1000-2000 hours.

Fig.-The Cockpit is also made of composite material

Flex-beam CFRP rotors are also in use on McDonnell Douglas MD 520N/MD 900
helicopters with NOTAH (No Tail Rotor) system. Composite blades can be designed to be
fail-safe and unlike metal blades they do not require frequent inspections for defects. In
addition, blade and rotor system efficiencies have been improved due to tailorability of
composites. Their longer life and reduced in-service inspection requirements make them very
attractive and cost effective.
b) Energy efficient FRP Axial Flow Fans

The project was launched in partnership with M/s Parag Fans & Cooling Systems Ltd.,
Dewas. The technology support in terms of aerodynamic design of axial flow fan impellers,
composite structural design, fabrication process and performance evaluation of fans was
provided by the Department of Aerospace Engineering, IIT-Bombay. Five types of fans for
cooling towers, mine, ventilation, textile humidification, radiator cooling for diesel
locomotives & air heat-exchangers were developed and tested successfully; an efficiency
differential of around 20-30% with commensurate energy saving was achieved over
conventional fans with aluminium impellers. The energy efficient FRP axial flow fans have
been inducted for cooling tower, mine ventilation and other applications by Reliance
Industries, WCL, Indian Railways etc. The Figure shows the Axial-flow fan made up of FRP
composites.

Fig.-FRP Axial Flow Fans

c) Flexible Thermosetting Tube
Composite coil tube replaces the existing steel coil tubing for high pressure down-hole
applications in offshore platforms. The tube can be coiled or uncoiled on a drum and can
easily be transported to the desired location of the wells. The Figure shows the Coil of
composite tubes.

Fig.-Composite coil tubes

The tube comprises of thermoplastic liner at inner surface over-wound with a structural
thermosetting laminate. Flexible tubing can be classified into two categories viz. bonded &
unbounded type. In case of bonded coil tube, the thermoplastic liner and structural laminates
are bonded together as one unit. On the other hand, unbounded tubing has flexibility to have a
relative movement between each other. Unlike steel coil tubes, composite tubes are effective
for their insertion in horizontal wells. Flexible thermoset coil tubing can withstand high
pressure rating up to 500 bars. In general, Eglass is used as the reinforcement but for specific
applications carbon fibres could be used. The liner material can also be tailored to suit the
application requirement. At present a few composite components are being used by various
industries for flexible riser construction. Until now the use of flexible coil tube has been
restricted to below 100 mm diameter. However, future developments are underway for
exploring the usage of composite tube for down-hole applications.
9. Advantages of composites
1.A higher performance for a given weight leads to fuel savings. Excellent strength-toweight
and stiffness-to-weight ratios can be achieved by composite materials. This is usually
expressed as strength divided by density and stiffness (modulus) divided by density. These
are so-called "specific" strength and "specific" modulus characteristics.

2. Laminate patterns and ply build-up in a part can be tailored to give the required mechanical
properties in various directions.

3. It is easier to achieve smooth aerodynamic profiles for drag reduction. Complex double-
curvature parts with a smooth surface finish can be made in one manufacturing operation.

4. Part count is reduced.

5. Production cost is reduced. Composites may be made by a wide range of processes.

6. Composites offer excellent resistance to corrosion, chemical attack, and outdoor

weathering; however, some chemicals are damaging to composites (e.g. paint stripper), and
new types of paint and stripper are being developed to deal with this. Some thermoplastics
are not very resistant to some solvents.

10. Disadvantages of composites

1. Composites are more brittle than wrought metals and thus are more easily damaged. Cast
metals also tend to be brittle.

2. Repair introduces new problems, for the following reasons:

Materials require refrigerated transport and storage and have limited shelf lives. Hot curing is
necessary in many cases, requiring special equipment. Curing either hot or cold takes time.
The job is not finished when the last rivet has been installed.

3. If rivets have been used and must be removed, this presents problems of removal without
causing further damage.

4. Repair at the original cure temperature requires tooling and pressure.

FUTURE BUSINESS OPPORTUNITIES AND APPLICATIONS OF
COMPOSITES
Strong developmental activities focusing primarily on products & processes need to be
pursued in India. Towards such an objective, a multiagency approach involving the industry,
Government, academia, research laboratory, certification/standardization and user agencies
would be required for a quantum jump in composite technology in the country. Thus, the key
thrust areas may be summarized as hereunder:

• Short & long term R&D

• Application development
• Fabrication & testing support
• Fabrication & testing support
•Availability & pricing of raw materials
•Manpower training
•Technical support services for materials & process selection, process optimization & design,
product quality improvement etc.
•Standardization
REFERENCES
[1] Designing with advanced fibrous composites by L. J. Hart Smith, Douglas A./C.
company workshop on new materials and process for mechanical design 1988 Brisbane
11-13 Aug (1877).

[2] M. F. Earo& J. H. Stannes Current research in composite Structures at NASA‘S Lagley

research center intern. Conf, composite materials and structures India Jan 6-8 (1988).

[3] Chaos.org.uk, (2015). Mechanical properties of materials. [online] Available

at:http://www.chaos.org.uk/~eddy/project/space/materials.html [Accessed 3 Jun. 2015].

[4] Kumar, S. (1990). Advances in high perfomance fibres.Indian journal of fibre and textile
research, [online] 15, pp.52-64. Available at:
http://nopr.niscair.res.in/bitstream/123456789/19208/1/IJFTR%2016%281 %29%2052-
64.pdf [Accessed 3 Jun. 2015].