Learning topic

Composite Materials

Matrix and reinforcement, fiber-reinforced, laminated and sandwich composites, directional properties, and characteristic failure mechanisms.

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An introduction to composite materials for Strength of Materials: matrix and reinforcement, major composite architectures, anisotropy, directional stiffness and strength, and characteristic damage mechanisms.

A composite material combines two or more constituents to obtain a useful set of properties. Many structural composites consist of a matrix, which binds the system and transfers load, and reinforcement, which strongly influences stiffness and strength.

Common types

Fiber-reinforced composites, such as carbon- or glass-fiber reinforced polymers.
Laminates, built from layers whose orientations are selected for the loading.
Sandwich structures, combining strong thin faces with a lightweight thick core.
Particle-reinforced materials, containing a distributed second phase.

Direction matters

In a unidirectional fiber composite, stiffness and strength along the fibers can differ greatly from properties transverse to them. Anisotropy and orthotropy are therefore central concepts in composite mechanics.

Characteristic damage

Composite failure may involve matrix cracking, fiber failure, delamination, or loss of bonding between constituents. Detailed composite analysis therefore requires models beyond elementary isotropic Strength of Materials.

This introductory topic primarily establishes the limits of equations derived for homogeneous isotropic materials.