An introduction to composite materials

Abstract

This module introduces basic concepts of stiffness and strength underlying the mechanics of fiber-reinforced advanced composite materials. This aspect of composite materials technology is sometimes terms “micromechanics,” because it deals with the relations between macroscopic engineering properties and the microscopic distribution of the material’s constituents, namely the volume fraction of fiber. This module will deal primarily with unidirectionally-reinforced continuous-fiber composites, and with properties measured along and transverse to the fiber direction.