PR I N CI PLE S

O F C O M P O SI T E
M ATE R I AL
M ECH AN ICS

R onald F . G ibson
D epartment of M echani cal E ngi neeri ng
W ayne State U ni versi ty
D etroi t, M i chi gan

McGraw-Hill, Inc.
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 INTRODUCTION 21

FIGURE 1.19
Filament wound composite transmission shaft. of Motor Company.
Research

1.4 FABRICATION PROCESSES

Although this book is concerned primarily with mechanics of composite
materials, it is essential for the reader to know how these materials are
made. This is because with composites, we design and build not only the
structure, but also the structural material itself. The selection of a
fabrication process obviously depends on the constituent materials in the
composite, with the matrix material being the key (i.e., the processes for
polymer matrix, metal matrix, and ceramic matrix composites are
quite different). In this brief summary of fabrication processes