Laminated Composites

Laminated composite materials are materials that are made up of any number of layered materials,
of the same or different orientation, bonded together with a matrix material. The layers of a
laminated composite, typically called plies, can be made from several materials, including adhesive
plies, metallic-foil plies, fiber-matrix plies of various fiber and matrix material combinations, and
core plies of various core materials.
Fiber-Matrix Laminated Composites
Fiber-matrix laminated composite materials are materials that are made up of any number of fiber-
matrix plies, of the same or different fiber orientation, layered and bonded together with some
matrix material. There are several types of fiber-matrix ply materials commonly used and currently
available in the manufacturing of fiber-matrix laminated composite parts. The most common fiber
materials used in fiber-matrix ply material systems include various types of boron, carbon, glass, and
Kevlar® fibers. The most common matrix materials used in fiber-matrix ply material systems include
various types of thermosetting and thermoplastic epoxies. Fiber-matrix ply materials can be
classified into the following general categories; unidirectional plies, 2D plain weave plies, 2D 5-
harness-satin (5HS) plies, and 3D woven fiber-matrix materials.
Unidirectional ply materials are made up of “straight” fibers embedded in a matrix material. Figure
1.2 shows a schematic of a unidirectional ply material. Typical unidirectional ply thicknesses range
from 0.005–0.015 inches with typical fiber volumes between 0.45–0.70. Typical unidirectional ply
material properties for several common fiber-matrix ply material systems are given in table 1.1. For
comparative purposes, table 1.2 gives typical material properties for several common engineering
metals. The properties presented in both tables should only be used within the exercises of this book
and for general comparison purposes. The material property values presented in table 1.1 and table
1.2 should not be used for any actual design purposes.