COMPOSITE

MATERIALS
 ISSUES TO ADDRESS

 What are the classes and types of

composites?
 Why are composites used instead of
metals, ceramics, or polymers?
 What are some typical applications?
TERMINOLOGY/CLASSIFICATION
woven
fibers
• Composites:
The combination of two or more materials in order
to create a new material, the properties of which
will better suited to a specific application
0.5 mm
• Matrix:
--The continuous phase cross
--Purpose is to: section
transfer stress to other phases view
protect phases from environment
--Classification: MMC, CMC, PMC
0.5 mm
metal ceramic polymer Reprinted with permission from
D. Hull and T.W. Clyne, An Introduction
to Composite Materials, 2nd ed.,
• Dispersed phase: Cambridge University Press, New York,
--Purpose: enhance matrix properties. 1996, Fig. 3.6, p. 47.

--Classification: Particle, fiber, structural

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Composites
 Combine materials with the objective of
getting a more desirable combination of
properties
 Ex: get flexibility & weight of a polymer plus the
strength of a ceramic

 Principle of combined action

 Mixture gives “averaged” properties
 COMPOSITES

Particle Fiber
reinforced Structural
reinforced

Large Dispersion Continuous Discontinuous Sandwich

Laminates
Particle strengthened (aligned) (short) panels

Randomly
Aligned oriented
Particle-reinforced composites
 2 subclassifications;
 LARGE: the particle-matrix interactions cannot be treated on
the atomic/molecular level. Ex: concrete
 DISPERSION-STRENGTHENED : particles are normally much
smaller; between 10 to 100 nm. Ex: thoria-dispersed nickel
 Particles used for reinforcing:
 ceramics and glasses such as small mineral particles,
 metal particles such as aluminum
 amorphous materials, including polymers and carbon black.
 Particles are used
 to increase the modulus of the matrix,
 to decrease the permeability of the matrix,
 to decrease the ductility of the matrix
 to produce inexpensive composites.
 COMPOSITE SURVEY: Particle-
I
Particle-reinforced Fiber -reinforced Structural
• Examples:
-Spheroidite matrix: particles: Adapted from Fig.

steel ferrite ( ) cementite 10.10, Callister 6e.

(Fig. 10.10 is copyright
(ductile) (Fe 3 C) United States Steel
Corporation, 1971.)
(brittle)
60 m
Adapted from Fig. 16.4,
-WC/Co matrix: particles: Callister 6e. (Fig. 16.4
cemented cobalt WC is courtesy Carboloy
Systems, Department,
(ductile) (brittle,
carbide Vm : hard)
General Electric
Company.)

10-15vol%! 600 m
Adapted from Fig. 16.5,
Callister 6e. (Fig. 16.5
-Automobile matrix: particles: is courtesy Goodyear
tires rubber C Tire and Rubber
(compliant) (stiffer) Company.)

0.75 m 3
 Composite Survey: Particle-II
Particle-reinforced Fiber-reinforced Structural
Concrete – gravel + sand + cement
- Why sand and gravel? Sand packs into gravel voids

Reinforced concrete - Reinforce with steel rerod or remesh

- increases strength - even if cement matrix is cracked

Prestressed concrete - remesh under tension during setting of

concrete. Tension release puts concrete under compressive force
- Concrete much stronger under compression.
- Applied tension must exceed compressive force
Post tensioning – tighten nuts to put under tension
threaded
rod

nut
 Examples:
 an automobile tire which has carbon black
particles in a matrix of polyisobutylene
elastomeric polymer.
 spheroidized steel where cementite is
transformed into a spherical shape which
improves the machinability of the material.
 concrete where the aggregates ( sand and gravel)
are the particles and cement is the matrix
Fiber-reinforced composites
 Reinforcing fibers can be made of metals, ceramics, glasses or
polymers
 Fibers increase the modulus of the matrix material.
 Fibers are difficult to process into composites which makes fiber-
reinforced composites relatively expensive.
 Examples:
 sports equipment, such as a time-trial racing bicycle frame which
consists of carbon fibers in a thermoset polymer matrix.
 Body parts of race cars and some automobiles are composites
made of glass fibers (or fiberglass) in a thermoset matrix.
 The strength and other properties of fiber-reinforced composites are
influence by
 the arrangement or orientation of the fibers relative to one
another
 the fiber concentration
 Composite Survey: Fiber-I
Particle-reinforced Fiber-reinforced Structural
 Fibers very strong
 Provide significant strength improvement to
material
 Ex: fiber-glass
 Continuous glass filaments in a polymer matrix
 Strength due to fibers
 Polymer simply holds them in place
 Composite Survey: Fiber-II
Particle-reinforced Fiber-reinforced Structural
 Fiber Materials
 Whiskers - Thin single crystals - large length to diameter ratio
 graphite, SiN, SiC

 high crystal perfection – extremely strong, strongest known

 very expensive

– Fibers
• polycrystalline or amorphous
• generally polymers or ceramics
• Ex: Al2O3 , Aramid, E-glass, Boron, UHMWPE
– Wires
• Metal – steel, Mo, W
 Fiber Alignment
Adapted from Fig.
16.8, Callister 7e.

aligned aligned random

continuous discontinuous
 COMPOSITE SURVEY: Fiber-I
Particle-reinforced Fiber-reinforced Structural
• Aligned Continuous fibers
• Examples:
--Metal: '(Ni3Al)-(Mo) --Glass w/SiC fibers
by eutectic solidification. formed by glass slurry
matrix: (Mo) (ductile) Eglass = 76GPa; ESiC = 400GPa.

(a) fracture
surface

2 m From F.L. Matthews and R.L. Rawlings,

Composite Materials; Engineering and
Science, Reprint ed., CRC Press, Boca
fibers: ’ (Ni 3 Al) (brittle) Raton, FL, 2000. (a) Fig. 4.22, p. 145
(b) (photo by P. Davies); (b) Fig. 11.20, p.
349 (micrograph by H.S. Kim, P.S.
From W. Funk and E. Blank, “Creep
Rodgers, and R.D. Rawlings). Used
deformation of Ni3Al-Mo in-situ composites",
with permission of CRC
Metall. Trans. A Vol. 19(4), pp. 987-998, 1988.
Press, Boca Raton, FL.
Used with permission.

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 COMPOSITE SURVEY: Fiber-II
Particle-reinforced Fiber-reinforced Structural
• Discontinuous, random 2D fibers
• Example: Carbon-Carbon C fibers:
--process: fiber/pitch, then very stiff
burn out at up to 2500C. very strong
--uses: disk brakes, gas (b) C matrix:
turbine exhaust flaps, nose less stiff
cones. view onto plane less strong
fibers lie
in plane
(a)

• Other variations:
--Discontinuous, random 3D
--Discontinuous, 1D
Adapted from F.L. Matthews and R.L. Rawlings,
Composite Materials; Engineering and Science,
Reprint ed., CRC Press, Boca Raton, FL, 2000. (a)
Fig. 4.24(a), p. 151; (b) Fig. 4.2(b) p. 351. Reproduced
with permission of CRC Press, Boca Raton, FL.

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Composite Production Methods-I
 Pultrusion
 Continuous fibers pulled through resin tank, then
preforming die & oven to cure

Adapted from Fig.

16.13, Callister 7e.
Composite Production Methods-II
 Filament Winding
 Ex: pressure tanks
 Continuous filaments wound onto mandrel

Adapted from Fig. 16.15, Callister 7e. [Fig.

16.15 is from N. L. Hancox, (Editor), Fibre
Composite Hybrid Materials, The Macmillan
Company, New York, 1981.]
COMPOSITE SURVEY: Structural
Particle-reinforced Fiber -reinforced Structural
• Stacked and bonded fiber-reinforced sheets
-- stacking sequence: e.g., 0/90
-- benefit: balanced, in-plane stiffness
Adapted from Fig.
16.16, Callister
6e.

• Sandwich panels
-- low density, honeycomb core
-- benefit: small weight, large bending stiffness
face sheet
adhesive layer
honeycomb

Adapted from Fig. 16.17,

Callister 6e. (Fig. 16.17 is
from Engineered Materials
Handbook, Vol. 1, Composites, ASM International, Materials Park, OH, 1987.
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 Structural composites
Common structural composite types are:
 Laminar:
 Is composed of two-dimensional sheets or panels
that have a preferred high strength direction such
as is found in wood and continuous and aligned
fiber-reinforced plastics.
 The layers are stacked and cemented together
such that the orientation of the high-strength
direction varies with each successive layer.
 One example of a relatively complex structure is
modern ski and another example is plywood.
 Sandwich Panels:
 Consist of two strong outer sheets which are called
face sheets and may be made of aluminum alloys,
fiber reinforced plastics, titanium alloys, steel.
 Face sheets carry most of the loading and stresses.
 Core may be a honeycomb structure which has less
density than the face sheets and resists
perpendicular stresses and provides shear rigidity.
 Sandwich panels can be used in variety of
applications which include roofs, floors, walls of
buildings and in aircraft, for wings, fuselage and
tailplane skins.
ADVANTANGES OF COMPOSITE
 High strength to weight ratio (low
density high tensile strength)
 High creep resistance
 High tensile strength at elevated
temperatures
 High toughness