xiv Preface

who design composite materials at the microscale and those who have to
design and manufacture the final engineering component.
Composite materials can be studied at a number of different levels each
of which requires a different kind of expertise. The method of approach
depends on the objectives of the investigation. Thus, the development of
a composite material to resist a corrosive environment, while maintaining
its physical and mechanical properties, is primarily an exercise in select-
ing fibres, resins and interfaces which resist this environment and is
within the expertise of chemists, physicists and materials scientists. In
contrast, the engineer who has to design a rigid structure, such as an
aerodynamic control surface on an aircraft or a pressure pipeline, is
more concerned with the macroscopic elastic properties of the material.
He uses anisotropic elasticity theory and finite element analysis to design
an optimum weight or optimum cost structure with the desired perfor-
mance characteristics. The disciplines in these two examples barely over-
lap and yet it is important for the physical scientist to understand the
nature of the design problem and for the engineer to appreciate the
subtleties of the material he uses in design. This book goes some way
towards building the bridge between these widely different approaches
and should be of value to all scientists and engineers concerned with
composite materials. Naturally, each group will look to other texts for
an in-depth treatment of specific aspects of the subject.

Preface to Second Edition

In the 15 years since the first edition was published, the subject of com-
posite materials has become broader and of greater technological impor-
tance. In particular, composites based on metallic and ceramic matrices
have received widespread attention, while the development of improved
polymer-based systems has continued. There have also been significant
advances in the understanding of how composite materials behave.
Furthermore, the wider range of composite types has led to greater inter-
est in certain properties, such as those at elevated temperature. We there-
fore decided to produce a major revision of the book, covering a wider
range of topics and presenting appreciably deeper treatments in many
areas. However, because the first edition has continued to prove useful
and relevant, we have retained much of its philosophy and objectives and
some of its structure. Throughout the book, emphasis is given to the
principles governing the behaviour of composite materials. While these
principles are applicable to all types of composite material, examples are

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 Preface xv
given illustrating how the detailed characteristics of polymeric-, metallic-
and ceramic-based systems are likely to differ.
The first chapter gives a brief overview of the nature and usage of
composite materials. This is followed by two chapters covering, firstly,
the types of reinforcement and matrix materials and, secondly, geomet-
rical aspects of how these two constituents fit together. The next three
chapters are concerned with the elastic deformation of composites.
Chapter 4 deals with material containing unidirectionally aligned contin-
uous fibres, loaded parallel or transverse to the fibre axis. This is
extended in Chapter 5 to laminates made up of bonded stacks of thin
sheets, each having the fibres aligned in a particular direction. The fol-
lowing chapter covers discontinuously reinforced composites, containing
short fibres or particles. Equations are presented in these chapters which
allow prediction of elastic properties, but the emphasis is on pictorial
representation of the concepts involved and it is not necessary to follow
the mathematical details in order to understand and use the results.
Chapter 7 is concerned with the interface between matrix and reinfor-
cement. This covers the nature of the interfacial bond in various systems
and the measurement and control of bond strength. The interface often
has an important influence on properties related to inelastic deformation
and failure of composites. Treatment of this aspect is divided between the
next two chapters, the first dealing with stress levels at which various
deformation and damage processes occur and the second concerning
energy absorption and quantification of the toughness of composite
materials. The thermal behaviour of composites is described in Chapter
10, which includes thermal stresses, creep and thermal conduction.
The last two chapters are largely independent of the rest of the book.
The first of these gives a brief survey of the manufacturing methods used
to produce components from various types of composite. This aspect is
particularly important, since the material and the component are com-
monly made in the same operation, at least for long-fibre composites.
This calls for close integration between the processes of material specifi-
cation and component design. This requirement is also highlighted in the
final chapter, covering applications. The intention here is to identify some
of the advantages and problems of using composites, by means of a series
of illustrative case histories, rather than to give a systematic survey. To
aid in the use of the book, a nomenclature listing is given as an appendix.
The contents have largely evolved from undergraduate courses we have
given and, as with the first edition, the book is intended as a teaching aid
at this level. It should also prove useful for scientists and engineers work-

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 xvi Preface

ing with composite materials and for those engaged in research in this
area. At the end of each chapter, a list of references is given, many of
them relevant to specific points made in the text. These references should
serve as useful sources of further detailed information at the research
level. They need not, in general, be consulted by undergraduates studying
the subject for the first time. A further point concerning additional
sources relates to computer-assisted learning. Software packages are
now available which allow both interactive exploration of elementary
topics and calculation of composite properties not easily obtained from
analytical equations. In many cases, these can serve as both teaching and
research tools. One such package, entitled 'Mechanics of Composite
Materials' (Clyne & Tanovic, published by the Institute of Materials in
1995 and by Chapman and Hall, as part of the MATTER software series,
in 1996), is largely based on material in this book.
We would like to acknowledge the support of many colleagues in
Cambridge and Liverpool Universities. Collaboration with and sugges-
tions from W. J. Clegg, A. Kelly and P. J. Withers have been particularly
useful. Stimulation and support from past and present students in our
research groups, particularly in the Materials Science Department at
Cambridge, have also been very helpful. In addition, we are indebted
to all those who have provided us with micrographs and unpublished
information. These are acknowledged in the text and figure captions.
We would also like to acknowledge the financial and moral support we
have received for our own research work on composites, in particular
from the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council, Alcan
International, British Petroleum, Ford Motor Company, Imperial
Chemical Industries, National Physical Laboratory, Pechiney, DRA
Farnborough, Pilkington, Rolls Royce. T & N, and Scott-Bader. We
have had extensive scientific contact with various people from these
and other organisations, which has been of considerable benefit to us.
We are also grateful to Brian Watts, our copy editor, for his painstaking
work and many useful suggestions, and to the editorial staff at CUP for
their cooperation and efficiency in producing this book.
Finally, we would like to thank our wives, Pauline and Gail, for their
invaluable support during the preparation of this book.

D. Hull
T. W. Clyne
1996

https://doi.org/10.1017/CBO9781139170130.002 Published online by Cambridge University Press