On the strength and stiffness of planar reinforced plastic resins

Abstract

Abstract The recent history of planar reinforced plastic resins, including glass flake, high modulus ceramic flake, and continuous vapor coated film composites, is reviewed. The theoretical mechanics of both continuous (film) and discontinuous (flake and ribbon) reinforcements are summarized in simple form. A novel set of design curves is presented from which the lower bound requirements for the flake composite constitutents may be read directly. At the same time, the dependence of the composite ultimate strength on the shear strength of the plastic resin matrix is demonstrated. The mechanical properties of experimental film and flake composites representative of recent work are reported and compared with the theoretical predictions. In conclusion, the potential of planar reinforced plastic resin composites is discussed and found to be significant for applications where low weight and high isotropic stiffness are required, for example in aero‐structural, airfoil, or blade components.