Composite material

A composite material (also called a composition material or shortened to composite, which is the common name) is a
material made from two or more constituent materials with significantly different physical or chemical properties that, when
combined, produce a material with characteristics different from the individual components. The composite material may
be preferred for many reasons: common examples include materials which are stronger, lighter, or less expensive and non-
corrosive and has thermal and electrical insulation properties when compared to individual metal materials.
Composite materials are generally used for buildings, bridges, and structures such as boat hulls, swimming pool
panels, racing car and aero craft bodies, shower stalls, bathtubs, storage tanks, imitation granite and cultured
marble sinks and countertops.
Most composites are made up of just two materials. Those are (1) the matrix or binder, which surrounds and binds together
a cluster of fibers (2) the reinforcement – these are fragments of a much stronger material

Choosing materials for the matrix

For the matrix, many modern composites use thermosetting or thermosoftening plastics (also called resins). (The use of
plastics in the matrix explains the name 'reinforced plastics' commonly given to composites). The plastics are polymers that
hold the reinforcement together and help to determine the physical properties of the end product.
Thermosetting plastics are liquid when prepared but harden and become rigid (ie, they cure) when they are heated. The
setting process is irreversible, so that these materials do not become soft under high temperatures. These plastics also resist
wear and attack by chemicals making them very durable, even when exposed to extreme environments.
Thermosoftening plastics, as the name implies, are hard at low temperatures but soften when they are heated. Although they
are less commonly used than thermosetting plastics they do have some advantages, such as greater fracture toughness, long
shelf life of the raw material, capacity for recycling and a cleaner, safer workplace because organic solvents are not needed
for the hardening process.
Ceramics, carbon and metals are used as the matrix for some highly specialized purposes. For example, ceramics are used
when the material is going to be exposed to high temperatures (such as heat exchangers) and carbon is used for products
that are exposed to friction and wear (such as bearings and gears).

Choosing materials for the reinforcement

Although glass fibres are by far the most common reinforcement, many advanced composites now use fine fibres of pure
carbon. There are two main types of carbon that can be used – graphite and carbon nanotubes. These are both pure carbon,
but the carbon atoms are arranged in different crystal configurations. Graphite is a very soft substance (used in ‘lead’pencils)
and is made of sheets of carbon atoms arranged in hexagons. The bonds holding the hexagons together are very strong, but
the bonds holding the sheets of hexagons together are quite weak, which is what makes graphite soft. Carbon nanotubes are
made by taking a single sheet of graphite (known as graphene) and rolling it into a tube. This produces an extremely strong
structure. It’s also possible to have tubes made of multiple cylinders – tubes within tubes.
Carbon fibre composites are light and much stronger than glass fibres, but are also more expensive. Of the two, graphite
fibres are cheaper and easier to produce than carbon nanotubes. They are used in aircraft structures and in high performance
sporting equipment like golf clubs, tennis rackets and rowing boats, and are increasingly being used instead of metals to
repair or replace damaged bones.
Even stronger (and more costly) than carbon fibres are threads of boron. Nanotubes of boron nitride have the additional
advantage of being much more resistant to heat than carbon fibres. They also possess piezoelectric qualities, which means
they can generate electricity when physical pressure is applied to them, such as twisting or stretching.
Polymers can also be used as the reinforcement material in composites. For example, Kevlar, originally developed to replace
steel in radial tyres but best known for its use in bullet-proof vests and helmets, is a polymer fibre that is immensely strong
and adds toughness to a composite. It is used as the reinforcement in composite products that require lightweight and reliable
construction (eg, structural body parts of an aircraft). Even stronger than Kevlar is a substance made from a combination of
graphene and carbon nanotubes.

Choosing the manufacturing process

Making an object from a composite material usually involves some form of mould. The reinforcing material is first placed
in the mould and then semi-liquid matrix material is sprayed or pumped in to form the object. Pressure may be applied to
force out any air bubbles, and the mould is then heated to make the matrix set solid.
The moulding process is often done by hand, but automatic processing by machines is becoming more common. One of
these methods is called pultrusion (a term derived from the words 'pull' and 'extrusion'). This process is ideal for
manufacturing products that are straight and have a constant cross section, such as bridge beams.
In many thin structures with complex shapes, such as curved panels, the composite structure is built up by applying sheets
of woven fibre reinforcement, saturated with the plastic matrix material, over an appropriately shaped base mould. When
the panel has been built to an appropriate thickness, the matrix material is then cured.

Sandwich composites
Many new types of composites are not made by the matrix and reinforcement method but by laying down multiple layers
of material. The structure of many composites (such as those used in the wing and body panels of aircraft), consists of a
honeycomb of plastic sandwiched between two skins of carbon-fibre reinforced composite material.

These sandwich composites combine high

strength, and particularly bending stiffness, with
low weight. Other methods involve simply laying
down several alternating layers of different
substances (for example, graphene and metal) to
make the composite.

A honeycomb composite sandwich structure from

NASA

Classification of composites I (based on matrix material)

Metal Matrix Composites (MMC): Metal Matrix Composites are composed of a metallic matrix (aluminum, magnesium,
iron, cobalt, copper) and a dispersed ceramic (oxides, carbides) or metallic (lead, tungsten, molybdenum) phase.

Ceramic Matrix Composites (CMC): Ceramic Matrix Composites are composed of a ceramic matrix and embedded fibers
of other ceramic material (dispersed phase).

Polymer Matrix Composites (PMC): Polymer Matrix Composites are composed of a matrix from thermoset (Unsaturated
Polyester (UP), Epoxiy (EP)) or thermoplastic(Polycarbonate (PC), Polyvinylchloride, Nylon, Polysterene) and embedded
glass, carbon, steel or Kevlar fibers (dispersed phase).

A metal matrix composite (MMC) is composite material with at least two constituent parts, one being a metal necessarily,
the other material may be a different metal or another material, such as a ceramic or organic compound. When at least three
materials are present, it is called a hybrid composite. Metal Matrix Composite (MMC) is a material consisting of a
metallic matrix combined with a ceramic (oxides, carbides) or metallic (lead, tungsten, molybdenum) dispersed phase.
The following properties are typical for Metal Matrix Composite (MMC) :
 High strength even at elevated temperatures;
 High stiffness (modulus of elasticity);
 Low density;
 High thermal conductivity;
 Excellent abrasion resistance.

A polymer matrix composite (PMC) is a composite material composed of a variety of short or continuous fibers bound
together by an organic polymer matrix. PMCs are designed to transfer loads between fibers through the matrix. Some of the
advantages with PMCs include their lightweight, high stiffness and their high strength along the direction of their
reinforcements. Other advantages are good abrasion resistance and good corrosion resistance
Reinforcement of polymers by strong fibrous network permits fabrication of Polymer Matrix Composites (PMC)
characterized by the following properties:
 High tensile strength;
 High stiffness;
 High Fracture Toughness;
 Good abrasion resistance;
 Good puncture resistance;
 Good corrosion resistance;
 Low cost.

Ceramic Matrix Composite (CMC) is a material consisting of a ceramic matrix combined with a ceramic (oxides,
carbides) dispersed phase.
Ceramic Matrix Composites are designed to improve toughness of conventional ceramics, the main disadvantage of which
is brittleness.
Ceramic Matrix Composites are reinforced by either continuous (long) fibers or discontinuous (short) fibers.
Short-fiber (discontinuous) composites are produced by conventional ceramic processes from an oxide (alumina) or non-
oxide (silicon carbide) ceramic matrix reinforced by whiskers of silicon carbide (SiC), titanium boride (TiB2), aluminum
nitride (AlN), zirconium oxide (ZrO2) and other ceramic fibers. Most of CMC are reinforced by silicon carbide fibers due
to their high strength and stiffness (modulus of elasticity).
Whiskers incorporated in a short-fiber Ceramic Matrix Composite improve its toughness resisting to cracks propagation.
However a character of failure of short-fiber reinforced materials is catastrophic.
Long-fiber (continuous) composites are reinforced either by long monofilament of long multifilament fibers.
The best strengthening effect is provided by dispersed phase in form of continuous monofilament fibers, which are fabricated
by chemical vapor deposition (CVD) of silicon carbide on a substrate made of tungsten (W) or carbon (C) fibers.
Monofilament fibers produce stronger interfacial bonding with the matrix material improving its toughness.
Failure of long-fiber Ceramic Matrix Composites is not catastrophic.
Typical properties of long-fiber Ceramic Matrix Composites:
 High mechanical strength even at high temperatures;
 High thermal shock resistance;
 High stiffness;
 High toughness;
 High thermal stability;
 Low density;
 High corrosion resistance even at high temperatures.