Short Fiber Reinforced Composite Materials

Science and Engineering of Short Fibre Reinforced Polymer Composites, Second Edition, provides the latest information on the ‘short fiber reinforced composites' (SFRP) that have found extensive applications in automobiles, business machines, durable consumer items, sporting goods and electrical industries due to their low cost, easy processing and superior mechanical properties over parent polymers. This updated edition presents new developments in this field of research and includes new chapters on electrical conductivity, structural monitoring, functional properties, self-healing, finite element method techniques, multi-scale SFRCs, and both modern computational and process engineering methods. Reviews the mechanical properties and functions of short fiber reinforced polymer composites (SFRP) Examines recent developments in the fundamental mechanisms of SFRP's Assesses major factors affecting mechanical performance, such as stress transfer and strength Includes new chapters on electrical conductivity, structural monitoring, functional properties, self-healing, finite element method techniques, multi-scale SFRCs, modern computational methods, and process engineering methods

This book addresses the issue of designing the microstructure of fiber composite materials in order to obtain optimum performance. Besides the systematic treatment of conventional continuous and discontinuous fiber composites, the book also presents the state-of-the-art of the development of textile structural composites as well as the nonlinear elastic finite deformation theory of flexible composites. The author's experience during twenty years of research and teaching on composite materials is reflected in the broad spectrum of topics covered, including laminated composites, statistical strength theories of continuous fiber composites, short fiber composites, hybrid composites, two- and three-dimensional textile structural composites and flexible composites. This book provides the first comprehensive analysis and modeling of the thermo-mechanical behavior of fiber composites with these distinct microstructures. Overall, the inter-relationships among the processing, microstructures and properties of these materials are emphasized throughout the book. The book is intended as a text for graduate or advanced undergraduate students, but will also be an excellent reference for all materials scientists and engineers who are researching or working with these materials.

Fiber reinforced composite materials encompass a wide range of material classes from reinforced glasses, plastics, and rubbers through to more recently developed metals and ceramics. Fundamentals of Fibre Reinforced Composite Materials is a comprehensive and authoritative book that introduces the topic with a brief history of composite development, a review of composite applications, the types of fibre used, and their respective indiviual properties. An entire chapter considers organic matrices and their behavior, reviewing all of the most commonly encountered polymer matrix systems. Composite manufacturing techniques are then discussed, including those methods employed in the production of advanced metal and ceramic matrix composites. The remaining chapters are devoted primarily to theoretical treatments of composite behavior, with emphasis on the understanding of damage mechanisms such as cracking, delamination, and fibre breakage. Where a mathematical approach is required, an attempt is made to relate the sometimes rather abstract notions back at the structure of the material being discussed. With extensive sets of sample problems accompanying each chapter, Fundamentals of Fibre Reinforced Composite Materials is ideally suited to undergraduate and graduate students of materials science, structural, mechanical, and aeronautical engineering, polymer science, metallurgy, physics and chemistry. It will also be of use as a reference to researchers working with composite materials and material scientists in general.

Load-Bearing Fibre Composites provides a unified view of the entire field of fiber and platelet composites. This book explores the complex interactions between fibers and matrix. Organized into 12 chapters, this book begins with an overview of the fundamental ideas in the field of fiber reinforced composites. This text then provides data on their load-bearing capabilities. Other chapters consider a rough estimate of how strong a material could be and describe the two main sources of weakness in real materials. This book discusses as well the slender forms of material and describes the simple slip theory of reinforcement that gives the modulus and strength for aligned short-fiber composites. The final chapter deals with the versatile use of fiber reinforced materials, which can be designed for a specific application by suitable choice of components and volume fraction. This book is a valuable resource for materials scientists, metallurgists, designers, engineers, and research workers.

Presents state-of-the-art processing techniques and readily applicable knowledge on processing of polymer composites The book presents the advancement in the field of reinforced polymer composites with emphasis on manufacturing techniques, including processing of different reinforced polymer composites, secondary processing of green composites, and post life cycle processing. It discusses the advantages and limitations of each processing method and the effect of processing parameters on the overall performance of the composites. Characterization and applications of reinforced polymer composites are also introduced. Reinforced Polymer Composites: Processing, Characterization and Post Life Cycle Assessment starts off by providing readers with a comprehensive overview of the field. It then introduces them to the fabrication of both short fiber/filler reinforced polymer composites and laminated reinforced polymer composites. Next, it takes them through the processing of polymer-based nanocomposites; the many advances in curing methods of reinforced polymer composites; and post life cycle processing, re-processing, and disposal mechanisms of reinforced polymer composites. Numerous other chapters cover: synthetic versus natural fiber reinforced plastics; characterization techniques of reinforced plastics; friction and wear analysis of reinforced plastics; secondary processing of reinforced plastics; and applications of reinforced plastics. -Presents the latest development in materials, processing, and characterization techniques, as well as applications of reinforced polymer composites -Guides users in choosing the best processing methods to produce polymer composites and successfully manufacture high quality products -Assists academics in sorting out basic research questions and helps those in industry manufacture products, such as marine, automotive, aerospace, and sport goods Reinforced Polymer Composites: Processing, Characterization and Post Life Cycle Assessment is an important book for materials scientists, polymer chemists, chemical engineers, process engineers, and anyone involved in the chemical or plastics technology industry.