COMPOSITE MATERIALS

Discussed by: Benz Andrew Regis & Brian Angelo Regis

 WHAT IS A COMPOSITE MATERIAL?

• A composite material is a combination of two materials with different physical and

chemical properties. When they are combined they create a material which is specialised to
do a certain job, for instance to become stronger, lighter or resistant to electricity. They can
also improve strength and stiffness. The reason for their use over traditional materials is
because they improve the properties of their base materials and are applicable in many
situations.
 HISTORY

• In 3400 B.C the first composites were engineered by the Mesopotamians in Iraq. The ancient
society glued wood strips on top of each other at different angles to create plywood. Following
this, in around 2181 B.C the Egyptians started to make death masks out of linen or papyrus
soaked in plaster. Later on, both of these societies started to reinforce their materials with straw
to strengthen mud bricks, pottery and boats.

• In 1200 A.D, the Mongols began to engineer composite bows which were incredibly effective at
the time. These were made out of wood, bamboo, bone, cattle tendons, horn and silk bonded with
pine resin.
• Following the industrial revolution, synthetic resins started to take a solid form by using
polymerisation. In the 1900s this new-found knowledge about chemicals led to the creation of
various plastics such as polyester, phenolic and vinyl. Synthetics then started to be developed,
Bakelite was created by the chemist Leo Baekeland. The fact that it did not conduct electricity
and was heat resistant meant it could be widely used across many industries.

• The 1930s was an incredibly important time for the advancement of composites. Glass fibre was
introduced by Owens Corning who also started the first fibre reinforced polymer (FRP) industry.
The resins engineered during this era are still used to this day and, in 1936, unsaturated polyester
resins were patented. Two years later, higher performance resin systems became accessible.
• The first carbon fibre was patented in 1961 and then became commercially available. Then, in
the mid-1990s, composites were starting to become increasingly common in manufacturing and
construction due to their relatively cheap cost compared to materials that had been used previously.
• The composites on a Boeing 787 Dreamliner in the mid-2000s substantiated their use for high
strength applications.
 WHAT ARE THE DIFFERENT TYPES?

 Some common composite materials include:

 Ceramic matrix composite: Ceramic spread out in a ceramic matrix. These are better than normal
ceramics as they are thermal shock and fracture resistant
 Metal matrix composite: A metal spread throughout a matrix
 Reinforced concrete: Concrete strengthened by a material with high tensile strength such as steel
reinforcing bars
 Glass fibre reinforced concrete: Concrete which is poured into a glass fibre structure with high zirconia
content
 Translucent concrete: Concrete which encases optic fibres
 Engineered wood: Manufactured wood combined with other cheap materials. One example
would be particle board. A speciality material like veneer can also be found in this composite
 Plywood: Engineered wood by gluing many thin layers of wood together at different angles
 Engineered bamboo: Strips of bamboo fibre glued together to make a board. This is a useful
composite due to the fact it has higher compressive, tensile and flexural strength than wood
 Parquetry: A square of many wood pieces put together often out of hardwood. It is sold as a
decorative piece
 Wood-plastic composite: Either wood fibre or flour cast in plastic
 Cement-bonded wood fibre: Mineralised wood pieces cast in cement. This composite has
insulating and acoustic properties
 Fibreglass: Glass fibre combined with a plastic which is relatively inexpensive and flexible
 Carbon Fibre reinforced polymer: Carbon fibre set in plastic which has a high strength-to-
weight ratio
 Sandwich panel: A variety of composites that are layered on top of each other
 Composite honeycomb: A selection of composites in many hexagons to form a honeycomb
shape.
 Papier-mache: Paper bound with an adhesive. These are found in crafts
 Plastic coated paper: Paper coated with plastic to improve durability. An example of where this
is used is in playing cards
 Syntactic foams: Light materials created by filling metals, ceramics or plastics with
microballoons. These ballons are made using either glass, carbon or plastic
 WHAT ARE THE ADVANTAGES OF
COMPOSITE MATERIALS?
• Low costs compared to metals
• Design flexibility
• Resistance to a wide range of chemical agents
• Low weight
• Durability
• Electric insulation
• High Impact strength
 WHY USE COMPOSITES?

• Weight saving is one of the main reasons for using composite materials rather than conventional
materials for components. While composites are lighter they can also be stronger than other
materials, for example, reinforced carbon-fibre can be up to five times stronger than 1020 grade
steel and only one fifth of the weight, making it perfect for structural purposes.
• Another advantage of using a composite over a conventional type of material is the thermal and
chemical resistance as well as the electrical insulation properties. Unlike conventional materials,
composites can have multiple properties not often found in a single material.
• Fibre reinforced composites, such as fibre reinforced plastic (FRP composites), are finding
increasing use in the design and manufacture of final products for commercialisation.
 MODERN EXAMPLES

• The first modern composite material was fibreglass. It is still widely used today for boat hulls,
sports equipment, building panels and many car bodies. The matrix is a plastic and the
reinforcement is glass that has been made into fine threads and often woven into a sort of cloth. On
its own the glass is very strong but brittle and it will break if bent sharply. The plastic matrix holds
the glass fibres together and also protects them from damage by sharing out the forces acting on
them. Some advanced composites are now made using carbon fibres instead of glass. These
materials are lighter and stronger than fibreglass but more expensive to produce. They are used in
aircraft structures and expensive sports equipment such as golf clubs. Carbon nanotubes have also
been used successfully to make new composites. These are even lighter and stronger than
composites made with ordinary carbon fibres but they are still extremely
• expensive. They do, however, offer possibilities for making lighter cars and aircraft (which will
use less fuel than the heavier vehicles we have now). The new Airbus A380, the world’s largest
passenger airliner, makes use of modern composites in its design. More than 20 % of the A380 is
made of composite materials, mainly plastic reinforced with carbon fibres. The design is the first
large-scale use of glass-fibre-reinforced aluminium, a new composite that is 25 % stronger than
conventional airframe aluminium but 20 % lighter
 EXAMPLES OF COMPOSITE USES

• Electrical equipment
• Aerospace structures
• Infrastructure
• Pipes and tanks
• Homes can be framed using plastic laminated beams
 THAT’S ALL
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