The particle-reinforced material has good properties such as high strength, small specific gravity, good

wear resistance and corrosion resistance, but it is difficult to machine and shape.

(Optimization of the WEDM process of particle-reinforced material with multiple performance

characteristics using grey relational analysis, Ko-Ta Chiang, Fu-Ping Chang, 9 May 2006)

These were constant amplitude tests under fluctuating tensile loading (stress ratio, R > 0) on unnotched

specimens. These test conditions produced curves in which the fatigue limit of the ply S-N lay only a little

below the static tensile strength of the material. This result was interpreted, by analogy to fatigue

behaviour in metals, as indicating that members made from fibre-reinforced materials were not prone to

fatigue failure. However, further experiments using different values of R and different specimen shapes

have shown this interpretation to be incorrect and that fibre-reinforced materials do indeed suffer fatigue.

In contrast to metals, no plastic deformation occurs with fibre composites, however, the stress/strain

behaviour of different fibre composites varies widely.

(Fatigue strength of a fibre-reinforced Material, D. SCHOTZ and J.J. GERHARZ, October 1977)

Recent developments of composite fibrous material containing strong uniaxial fibres in a low modulus

resin have produced a class of materials which may have a tensile strength comparable with the best of

the high quality steels, whilst the density is only one-fifth of the latter. These and other properties have

become well known and several works have appeared to describe them deal with the static properties of

fibre reinforced material.

(The vibration of beams of fibre reinforced material, L.S.TeohC.-C.Huang, 22 April 1977)

Cushion products of the single sheet kind may be materially improved as to ability to accept moderate

and heavy loadings while still utilizing relatively light weight thermoplastic films as the sheet material if the

sheet is (a) provided with a reinforcement to maintain low distortion under loading, and (b) the

reinforcement serves to also provide a non-hermetic air cushion product.

(Plastic cushioning reinforced material, E Evans, 24 Sept. 1974)

From the engineering point of view the most important type of composites at the present time are Fiber

Reinforced Materials (from now on abbreviated FRM). The idea behind this kind of material is simple and

the results are startling. The very high strength of various kinds of fibers of minute cross sections is

exploited by embedding them in a relatively soft matrix. It thus becomes possible to manufacture

materials whose strength and stiffness is comparable to that of the strongest metals and whose specific

weight is as low as one third of that of steel.

The most basic FRM is uniaxially reinforced (or may be so idealized) the fibers are all in one and the

same direction. This report is primarily concerned with such materials. Engineering applications frequently

make it necessary to lay the fibers in two or more different directions, thus producing biaxially or

multiaxially reinforced materials. Such materials mostly consist of laminated layers of uniaxially reinforced

material and are thus called laminates.

One of the principal advantages of uniaxial FRM as engineering materials is their potential to exploit the

very high strength of fibers, such as glass, boron and carbon fibers, to produce materials of very high

axial strength. Moreover, the fibers and matrix have low specific weights and thus the specific weight of

the FRIk4 is also low, as low as one third of the specific weight of steel.

(Theory of fiber reinforced materials, Hashin, Z., March 01, 1972)

Effects of Incorporating Reinforcements in Different Materials

The addition of reinforcements in materials naturally improves its mechanical properties. Several studies

about reinforced materials are listed as follows:

1. This study takes Al2O3 particle-reinforced material (6061 alloy) as working piece and investigates

two performance characteristics of the processing speed and processing surface quality with the

grey relational analysis for determining the optimal parameters in the WEDM process. The particle-

reinforced material has good properties such as high strength, small specific gravity, good wear

resistance and corrosion resistance, but it is difficult to machine and shape. (Ko-Ta Chiang, Fu-

Ping Chang, 9 May 2006)

2. Initial data concerning the fatigue behaviour of modern composites were obtained by tests which,

for obvious reasons, had to be easy to carry out. These were constant amplitude tests under

fluctuating tensile loading (stress ratio, R > 0) on unnotched specimens. These test conditions

produced curves in which the fatigue limit of the ply S-N lay only a little below the static tensile

strength of the material. This result was interpreted, by analogy to fatigue behaviour in metals, as

indicating that members made from fibre-reinforced materials were not prone to fatigue failure.

However, further experiments using different values of R and different specimen shapes have

shown this interpretation to be incorrect and that fibre-reinforced materials do indeed suffer fatigue.

In contrast to metals, no plastic deformation occurs with fibre composites, however, the

stress/strain behaviour of different fibre composites varies widely. (D. SCHOTZ and J.J.

GERHARZ, October 1977)

3. Recent developments of composite fibrous material containing strong uniaxial fibres in a low

modulus resin have produced a class of materials which may have a tensile strength comparable

with the best of the high quality steels, whilst the density is only one-fifth of the latter. These and

other properties have become well known and several works have appeared to describe them deal

with the static properties of fibre reinforced material. (L.S.TeohC.-C.Huang, 22 April 1977)

4. Cushion products of the single sheet kind may be materially improved as to ability to accept

moderate and heavy loadings while still utilizing relatively light weight thermoplastic films as the

sheet material if the sheet is (a) provided with a reinforcement to maintain low distortion under
 loading, and (b) the reinforcement serves to also provide a non-hermetic air cushion product. (E

Evans, 24 Sept. 1974)

5. From the engineering point of view the most important type of composites at the present time are

Fiber Reinforced Materials (from now on abbreviated FRM). The idea behind this kind of material

is simple and the results are startling. The very high strength of various kinds of fibers of minute

cross sections is exploited by embedding them in a relatively soft matrix. It thus becomes possible

to manufacture materials whose strength and stiffness is comparable to that of the strongest metals

and whose specific weight is as low as one third of that of steel.

The most basic FRM is uniaxially reinforced (or may be so idealized) the fibers are all in one and

the same direction. This report is primarily concerned with such materials. Engineering applications

frequently make it necessary to lay the fibers in two or more different directions, thus producing

biaxially or multiaxially reinforced materials. Such materials mostly consist of laminated layers of

uniaxially reinforced material and are thus called laminates.

One of the principal advantages of uniaxial FRM as engineering materials is their potential to exploit

the very high strength of fibers, such as glass, boron and carbon fibers, to produce materials of

very high axial strength. Moreover, the fibers and matrix have low specific weights and thus the

specific weight of the FRIk4 is also low, as low as one third of the specific weight of steel. (Hashin,

Z., March 01, 1972)