COMPOSITE MATERIALS

Nurul Farahin bt Musa

Siti Salwa bt Shamsuddin

COMPOSITE MATERIALS
Types of composite
materials
Composition of
composite materials
Properties of composite
materials
Uses of composite
materials
COMPOSITE MATERIALS
A composite material is a material made up
of two or more materials that are
combined in a way that allows the
materials to stay distinct and identifiable.
The purpose of composites is to allow the
new material to have strengths from both
materials, often times covering the original
materials' weaknesses. Composites are
different from alloys because alloys are
combined in such a way that it is
impossible to tell one particle, element, or
substance from the other. Some common
composite materials include concrete,
fiberglass, mud bricks, and natural
composites such as rock and wood.
Types of composite materials
Composite materials are usually classified by
the type of reinforcement they use. This
reinforcement is embedded into a matrix
that holds it together. The reinforcement is
used to strengthen the composite. For
example, in a mud brick, the matrix is the
mud and the reinforcement is the straw.
Common composite types include random-
fiber or short-fiber reinforcement,
continuous-fiber or long-fiber
reinforcement, particulate reinforcement,
flake reinforcement, and filler
reinforcement.

 Types of composite materials
Mud Bricks
One type of very old composite material
invented by early humans was the mud
brick. A normal mud brick is sturdy and
resistant to compression, but can break if
bent. Straw is a material that has excellent
tensile strength, meaning that it resists
stretching. By combining both, early
humans were able to create composite mud
bricks that could resist weight and
compression as well as stretching.


Concrete
Concrete is a composite material made of
Fiberglass
 Fiberglass is a material made of tiny
glass shards held together by resin
and other components. In the
automotive industry, fiberglass is
important for making body kits.
The body shell for a car is made up
of different layers of fiberglass,
such as a gel-coat layer, tissue
layer, matting and cloth. The final
product is a complete, waterproof,
lightweight and strong body kit.
Fiberglass can also be a less
Natural composites :
 Wood
is a good example of a natural composite. Wood
is a combination of cellulose fiber and lignin.
The cellulose fiber provides strength and the
lignin is the "glue" that bonds and stabilizes
the fiber.
Bamboo is a very efficient wood composite
structure. The components are cellulose and
lignin, as in all other wood, however bamboo is
hollow. This results in a very light yet stiff
structure. Composite fishing poles and golf
club shafts copy this natural design.
Plywood is a man-made composite combining
natural and synthetic materials. Thin layers of
wood veneer are bonded together with
adhesive to form flat sheets of laminated wood
Composition of composite
materials
a binder or matrix


a reinforcement
Composition of composite
materials
A binder or matrix
The matrix holds the reinforcements in an
orderly pattern. Because the
reinforcements are usually discontinuous,
the matrix also helps to transfer load
among the reinforcements.
Matrix materials are usually some type of
plastic, and these composites are often
called reinforced plastics. There are other
types of matrices, such as metal or
ceramic, but plastics are by far the most
common. There are also many types of
plastics, but a discussion of them is
beyond the scope of this week's column.
Suffice it to say for now that the two most
Composition of composite
materials
A reinforcement
Reinforcements basically come in three
forms:
1.particulate,
 A particle has roughly equal dimensions in all
directions, though it doesn't have to be
spherical. Gravel, microballoons, and resin
powder are examples of particulate
reinforcements
2.discontinuous fiber,
 Reinforcements become fibers when one
dimension becomes long compared to others.
Discontinuous reinforcements (chopped
fibers, milled fibers, or whiskers) vary in
length from a few millimeters to a few
centimeters. Most fibers are only a few
Composition of composite
materials
3.continuous fiber.
 With either particles or short fibers,
the matrix must transfer the load
at very short intervals. Thus, the
composite properties cannot come
close to the reinforcement
properties.
 With continuous fibers, however,
there are few if any breaks in the
reinforcements. Composite
properties are much higher, and
continuous fibers are therefore
 Properties of composite materials
High Strength –
Composite materials can be designed to meet
the specific strength requirements of an
application. A distinct advantage of
composites over other materials is the ability
to use many combinations of resins and
reinforcements, and therefore custom tailor
the mechanical and physical properties of a
structure.
To understand this, consider the following
example:
Compare a ¼ inch diameter steel rod to a
¼ inch diameter fiberglass composite
rod.
The steel rod will have higher tensile and
compressive strength, but will weigh
Properties of composite
materials
Corrosion Resistance – Composites
products provide long-term resistance to
severe chemical and temperature
environments. Composites are the material
of choice for outdoor exposure, chemical
handling applications, and severe
environment service.
Light Weight – Composites are materials
that can be designed for both light weight
and high strength. In fact, composites are
used to produce the highest strength to
weight ratio structures known to man.

Properties of composite
materials
Design Flexibility –
Composites have an advantage over other
materials because they can be molded into
complex shapes at relatively low cost. The
flexibility of creating complex shapes offers
designers a freedom that hallmarks
composites achievement.
Boats are a good example of the success of
composites. Boats can be made out of a
variety of materials – wood, aluminum,
steel, and even cement! Why are most
pleasure boats today built from fiberglass
composites? The reason is that composites
can be easily molded into complex shapes
which improve boat design.
Properties of composite
materials
Durability –
Composite structures have an exceedingly
long life span. Coupled with low
maintenance requirements, the longevity
of composites is a benefit in critical
applications. In a half-century of
composites development, well-designed
composite structures have yet to wear out.
There are numerous examples of boats,
buildings, and other composites structures
built in the 1950s, which are still in service.
The bodies of the original 1953 Corvette
are fiberglass, and with the exception of
cosmetic repairs, are still structurally
sound.
Uses of composite materials
Composite materials are used to make
various substances in daily life because of
the following reasons:
Metals corrode and are ductile and
malleable
Glass and ceramics break easily
Metals are good conductors but have high
resistance, leading to loss of electrical
energy as heat
Plastics and glass can withstand heat to
certain level only.
Composite materials have been created to
overcome these problems and to make
materials stronger, more long-lasting and
Uses of composite materials
Reinforced concrete
concrete (cement, sand, stones), steel
Ordinary concrete is strong but heavy.
Concrete pillars must be big to support the
weight. They take up space and cannot
withstand stress for example from
earthquakes.
Steel pillars are too expensive and can rust.
Reinforced concrete, containing steel rods in
the concrete pillars, can make them
stronger and able to support larger loads.
It also does not rust.

Uses of composite materials
Optical fibre
SiO2, Na2CO3, CaO
This is a fine transparent glass tube that is
made of molten glass. Glass cannot
conduct electricity or electronic data in the
form of electrons. But optical fibre allows
light to be transmitted through the tube so
that data is transmitted at a faster rate.
In telecommunications, light has replaced
electrons as the transmitter of signals. This
light transmits signals through optical fibre
and the field is called optoelectronics.
Optical fibre is also used in the medical field
as
laser to do operation
endoscope to examine the internal organs of
Uses of composite materials
Photochromic glass
glass, AgCl (or AgBr
Glass is transparent and not sensitive
towards light.
Photochromic glass contains AgCI or AgBr
which causes the glass to darken in
sunlight and lighten in the absence of
sunlight.
It is used to make photochromic lenses of
spectacles and protects our eyes from
extreme sunlight.

Uses of composite materials
Plastic reinforced with glass
fibreglass and polyster resin
While plastic is light and hard, it is brittle.
Glass is harder than plastic but breaks
easily. Thus fibre glass is obtained by
adding a polyster resin to molten glass. It
cannot be compressed easily and is more
tensile than the original materials.
Fibre glass is light, withstands corrosion, can
be cast into different shapes, is impervious
to water, not very flammable, not brittle
and stronger than even steel.
It is used to make racquets, construction
panels, electrical appliances, pipes, and
Uses of composite materials
Superconductor
Itrium oxide (Y203), BaCO3, CuO
It is a substance with almost nil resistance.
Thus it saves electricity.
Copper shows superconductor properties
only at -270°C. Thus the superconductor, a
mixture of CuO, Y203, and BaO, results in a
ceramic called perovskite or YBCO. All the
materials used to make this composite
substance are not electrical conductors in
their original forms, but as a
superconductor, it conducts electricity
without loss of energy.

 REFERENCE
http://www.ehow.com/about_5868282_types-com
http://www.acmanet.org/professionals/index.cfm
http://composite.about.com/od/aboutcomposites
http://
wiki.one-school.net/index.php/Evaluating_uses
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