W a vin a n c ie n t B a b y lo n . o n e o f th ele s s e rw o n d e rs o f th e a n c ie n tw o rld , w as m a d e o f b itu m e n re in fo rc e dw ithp la ite d s tra w .S tra w a n d h o rs e h a ir h a v ebeen usedto re in fo rc e m ud

C o m p o s itc sneed not bem a d e o f fib re s . P ly w o o d is ala m e lla r c o m p o s ite .g iv in ga m a te ria lw i t hu n ifo rm p r o p e r t i e si nth e p la n e o f th e s h e e t( u n lik eth e w o o d fro m w h ic h it is m a d e ).S h c e tso f G F R P or of C FR Pa re la m in a te dto g e th e r,fo r th e s a m e r e a s o n .A n d s a n d r v i c hp a n c l s - - - c o m p o s i t c sm a d e o f s tiff s k in sw itha lo w -d e n s ityc ttre -a c h ie v es p e c ia l p ro p c rtic sb v c o m b in in g . in a s h c c t, th c b e s tf e a t u r e s o f tw o v e ry d iffe rc n tc o m p o n c n ts .

W cn rlw c x a m in e th c p ro p c rtic so f fib ro u sa n d p a ric u la tc c o m p o s itc sa n dfo a m si na littlc m tlr c tlc ta il.W itlr th c s cm a tc ria ls .m o re th a n a n yo th e r.p r o p c r t i e sc a nb cd e s ig n e d - in : th c c h a ra c tc ris tic s

P o lv n r e r shuvc a lo u 's tifln c s s ,a n d( i n th erig h t ra n g c o l tc m p c ra tu rc )a rc d u c tilc . C c ra n ric sa n dg la s s c sa re s tiff a n ds tro n g , b u t a re c a ta s tro p h ic a llvb rittle .l nJ ib ro u s c o n tp < ts ile s

a r e a lig n e da l o n g t h c l o a d i n g d i r e c t i o n ,t h c nth e s tiffn c s sa n c th c s trc n g th :rre. ro u {h lt,s p e a k in g ,a n a v c r a g eo f t h o s e o f t h c m a t r i x a n d {ib re s .w c i g h t c d b r th c irv o lu n rc fru c lio n s .B u t n o t a l l c o m p o s i t cp r o p c r t i c sa r ciu s t a lin c a rc o n r b in u tio no f th o s c o l'th cc o ru p o n c n ts .

T h c t o u g h n c s si s a n c x a n t p l e .I f a c r a c k s im p ll'ra n th ro u g h ;r G F R P c o rlp o s itc .o n e ' n ig h t (a t lir s ts ig h t)c x p c c tth e to u g h n e s s1 o b e a s im p le u 'e ig h tc da v c r a e co f th a t o f g la s s a n d c p o x r ' :a n d b o t h a r e l o w . B u t th a t is n o t w h a th a p p e n s .T h e s tro n gfib rc s p u llo u to f th c e p o x )'.ln

P o lv m c r-m a trix c o m p o s i t e s f o r a e r o s p a c ea n d tra n s p o rta re m a d c b v la v in gu p g la s s . c a rb o nt ' r r K c v l a r f i b r c s(T a b le 2 5 . 1 )in a n u n c u re dm ix tu re o f re s ina n d h lrrd c n c r.T h c rc s in c u r c s .ta k in gu p th c s h a p eo f th e m o u ld a n d b o n d in g to th c fib rc s . N ,la n vc o n rp o s ite sa rc b a s e do n c p o x i e s .t h o u g h t h e r e i s n o w a t r e n d to u s in gth e c h e a p c r p o ll'e s tc r s .

L a f i n g - u p i s a s l o w . l a b o u r - i n t e n s i v ejo b . I t c a n b e b y - p a s s c d b , v u s i n g th c rm o p la s tic s c o n l a i n i n gc h o p p c dfib re su 'h ic h c a n b e i n j e c t i o n m o u l d ed . T h e r a n d o m c h o p p e dfib rc sa rc n o tq u ite a sc ffe c tiv ea s la id - u p c o n t i n u o u sf i b r e s .w h ic hc a n b eo rie n te d to m a x im is cth eir c o n trib u tio nt o th e s tre n g th .B u t th e flo w p a tte rnin in je c tio n m o u ld in g h c lp sto lin e th e fib re su p , s o th a t c le v e r m o u ld d e s ig nc a n g iv eas tiff. s tro n g p ro d u c t.T h ete c h n iq u e isu s e d in c r e a s in g lvfo r s p o r tsg o o d s(te n n isra c q u e ts ,fo r in s ta n c e )a n d lig h t- w e ig h th ik in g g e a r ( lik e b a c k -p a c kfra m e s ).

M a k i n gg o o d f i b r e - c o m p o s i t e si s not easy;large c o m p a n i c s h a v e b e e nb a n k ru p te d b -v t h e i r f a i l u r e t o d o s o . T h e t e c h n o l o g yi s b e t t e ru n d e rs to o d t h a n i t u s c d t o b e : t h etric k sc a n b efo u n d i n t h e b o o k s l i s t e d u n d e r F u r t h e r r e a d i n g .B u t s u p p o s cy o u c a n m a k e th e m . v o u s tillh a v eto k n o u 'h o w to u s eth e m .T h a t n e e d sa n u n d e r s t a n d i n go f th c irp ro p e rtie s .u 'h ic h w ee x a m in e n e x t. T h e im p o rta n t p ro p e rtie s o f th re e c o m m o nc o m p o s ite s a re lis te d in T a b le

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