Composite Laminates : Properties, Performance & Applications

In materials science, composite laminates are assemblages of layers of fibrous composite materials which can be joined to provide required engineering properties, including in-plane stiffness, bending stiffness, strength, and thermal expansion. The individual layer consists of high-modulus, high-strength fibers in a polymeric, metallic, or ceramic matrix material. Most fibers in use include graphite, glass, boron, and silicon carbide, and most of the matrix materials are epoxies, polyimides, aluminum, titanium, and alumina. With the ongoing development of the high-tech industry, demand for advanced materials has led to the development of substitutes for traditional engineering materials (i.e., wood, aluminium, steel, concrete). Composite materials have emerged as superior engineering materials due to attributes that are not attainable with existing engineering materials. Due to these advantages, composite materials provide an opportunity for cost-efficient high performance in many weight-critical applications in spite of a product cost impediment compared with traditional materials. This new book gathers the latest research from around the globe in this dynamic field in relation to the properties, performance and application of composite materials.