Composites

Concrete
- Mixture of Cement (matrix) and
 Composite sand and gravel (particulates)
- mixture of two or more distinct - The two most familiar concretes are
materials portland and asphaltic cements
- any multiphase material that is
artificially made and exhibits a Portland Cement
significant proportion of the a. Portland Cement
properties of both constituent Concrete
phases Sand + gravel + water
- are created to improve b. Reinforced Concrete
combinations of mechanical Sand + gravel + water +
characteristics rebar
 Needed for a host of high-technology
applications such as those found in b. Dispersion-strengthened
Aerospace, underwater, bio- - particles are normally much
engineering, and transportation smaller
industries. - particle-matrix interactions
 Composites can be a mixture of that lead to strengthening
multiphase metal alloys, ceramics and occur on the atomic or
polymers molecular level
 Principle of Combined Action
- Better property combinations are
fashioned by the judicious
combination of two or more distinct
materials.
 Composite materials are composed of
two phases:
1. Matrix – continuous and surrounds
the dispersed phase
2. Dispersed phase

 Dispersed phase geometry – the shape

of the particles and the particle size,
distribution, and orientation.

Classification of Composites
1. Particle-reinforced composites
- dispersed phase is equiaxed
a. Large Particle
- particle-matrix interactions
cannot be treated on the
atomic or molecular level.
- particulate phase is harder
and stiffer than the matrix
Example: Concrete
 Composites

Particle- Fiber-
Structural
reinforced reinforced

Continuous Discontinuous
Large-particle Laminates
(aligned) (short)

Dispersion- Sandwich
Aligned
strengthened panels

Randomly
oriented
Processing of Fiber-reinforced Composites
A. Pultrusion
-used for the manufacture of components having continuous lengths and a
constant cross-sectional shape.
-used in reinforcing materials like glass, carbon and aramid fibers.
-commonly used resin material: polyester, vinyl esters, and epoxy resins.

Diagram of the pultrusion process.

1 - Continuous roll of reinforced fibers/woven fiber mat

2 - Tension roller

3 - Resin Impregnator

4 - Resin soaked fiber

5 - Die and heat source

6 - Pull mechanism

7 - Finished hardened fiber reinforced polymer

B.Prepreg Production Process

-Pre-preg is a term for "pre-impregnated" composite fibers where a matrix
material, such as epoxy, is already present. (Partially cured)
-is delivered in tape form to the manfacturer, which the directly molds and cures
without having to add any resin.
- The matrix is only partially cured to allow easy handling; this is called B-Stage
material and requires cold storage to prevent complete curing. B-Stage pre-preg is always stored
in cooled areas since heat accelerates complete polymerization.
 C. Filament Winding
Filament winding is a fabrication technique mainly used for manufacturing open (cylinders) or
closed end structures (pressure vessels or tanks).
The process involves winding filaments under tension over a rotating mandrel. The mandrel
rotates around the spindle (Axis 1 or X: Spindle) while a delivery eye on a carriage (Axis 2 or Y:
Horizontal) traverses horizontally in line with the axis of the rotating mandrel, laying down
fibers in the desired pattern or angle.
The most common filaments are glass or carbon and are impregnated in a bath with resin as they
are wound onto the mandrel. Once the mandrel is completely covered to the desired thickness,
the resin is cured.
Depending on the resin system and its cure characteristics, often the rotating mandrel is placed in
an oven or placed under radiant heaters until the part is cured. Once the resin has cured, the
mandrel is removed or extracted, leaving the hollow final product.
For some products such as gas bottles the 'mandrel' is a permanent part of the finished product
forming a liner to prevent gas leakage or as a barrier to protect the composite from the fluid to be
stored.
Structural Composites
-is normally composed of both homogeneous and composite materials, properties at
which not only depend on the properties of constituent materials but also on the geometrical
design of the various structural elements.
2 most common examples;
Laminar Composites
-is composed of two-dimensional sheets or panels that have a high preffered high-
strength direction.
- includes plywood, which is a laminated composite of thin layers of wood in which
successive layers have different grain or fiber orientations. The result is a more-or-less isotropic
composite sheet that is weaker in any direction than it would be if the fibers were all aligned in
one direction. The stainless steel in a cooking vessel with a copper-clad bottom provides
corrosion resistance while the copper provides better heat distribution over the base of the vessel.

Sandwich Panels
-are used in facades, partition walls and ceilings. The most typical applications include
industrial, office and commercial buildings, sports halls, warehouses and power plants. The
panels are also suitable for food industry construction and demanding clean room applications. 
-consists of two outer sheets or faces, that are separated by and adhesively bonded to a
thicker core.
-the outer sheets are made of a relatively stiff and strong material such as typical
aluminum alloys, fiber reinforced plastics, titanium, steel or plwood.--- must be thick enough to
withstand tensile and compressive stresses.
 -core material is usually lightweight and has a low modulus of elasticity. Thing like;
polymeric foams,wood and honey combs.
- This sandwich setup allows to achieve excellent mechanical performance at minimal
weight. The very high rigidity of a sandwich panel is achieved thanks to interaction of its
components under flexural load applied to the panel: core takes the shear loads and creates a
distance between the skins which take the in-plane stresses, one skin in tension, the other in
compression.
Honeycomb sandwich panel has been proven as the most efficient sandwich design with
respect to mechanical performance and weight. Aerospace and aircraft industry uses the
honeycomb structures as they meet the tough requirements of related applications. The use of
honeycomb sandwich design in more common applications has been more limited due to the
batch wise manufacturing processes and hence relatively high production costs.
METAL-MATRIX COMPOSITES
(MMC)

• composite material with at least two constituent parts, one being a metal.

• The other material may be a different metal or another material, such as a ceramic or organic
compound.

• The matrix is a ductile material. Itis usually a lighter metal such as aluminum, magnesium,
or titanium, and provides a compliant support for the reinforcement.

• These materials can be used at higher temperatures compared to heir base-metal counterparts.

The additional reinforcement could provide more stiffness,specific strength, abrasion resistance, creep
resistance, thermal conductivity, and dimensional stability

APPLICATIONS

• Automobile manufacturers- engines with aluminum-alloy matrix reinforced with carbon fiber

• Aerospace industry – reinforcement for space shuttle orbiter; Graphite fibers for Hubble Space
Telescope.

Ceramic-matrix composites

• consist of ceramic fibres embedded in a ceramic matrix, thus forming a ceramic fibre reinforced

ceramic material. 

• Developed to increase the fracture toughness of ceramics.

• Has increased thermal shock resistance

• Has improved load capability

Manufacturing Processes

• A. Lay-up and fixation of the fibres, shaped as the desired component

• lay-up of fabrics

• filament winding

•  braiding
 •  knotting

• B. Infiltration of the matrix material

• Deposition out of a gas mixture

• Pyrolysis of a pre-ceramic polymer

• Chemical reaction of elements

• Sintering at a relatively low temperature in the range 1000–1200 °C

• Electrophoretic deposition of a ceramic powder

• C. Machining

• Grinding

• Drilling

• Milling

• Done with diamond tools

Applications

• When spaceships leave the atmosphere or re-enter Earth, thermal shock could be a problem.

• CMCs are specifically used to handle thermal shocks.

• Lighter than metal, increasing aircraft loading capacity.

• Used in military jet air flaps.

• Used in fusion and fission reactors.

Carbon-Carbon Composite
(CC)

• composite material consisting of carbon fiber reinforcement in a matrix of graphite.

• developed for the nose cones of intercontinental ballistic missiles

• well-suited to structural applications at high temperatures, or where thermal shock resistance

and/or a low coefficient of thermal expansion is needed.

Manufacturing Processes

• A. SHAPING

• material is laid up in its intended final shape, with carbon filament and/or cloth surrounded by
an organic binder such as plastic or pitch.

• Often, coke or some other fine carbon aggregate is added to the binder mixture.

• B. PYROLYSIS
 • the lay-up is heated, pyrolysis transforms the binder to relatively pure carbon.

• The binder loses volume in the process, voids form.

• C. VOID-FILLING

• voids are gradually filled by forcing a carbon-forming gas such as acetylene through the material
at a high temperature, over the course of several days.

• This long heat treatment process also allows the carbon to form into larger graphite crystals

• Reason why carbon fiber production is costly ; costs $100,000 per panel (sq. ft.) on NASA space
shuttle nose cone

APPLICATIONS

• can be used in automotive applications, such as components of brake systems on high

performance road cars, namely the brake disc and brake pads.

• used widely in aircraft components and structures, where its superior strength to weight ratio
far exceeds that of any metal.

• Carbon fiber offers several advantages over other materials in the medical field, including the
fact that it is ‘radiolucent’ – transparent to X-rays and shows as black on X-ray images. 

• Military applications to lessen material weight

HYBRID COMPOSITES

• Uses two or more different fibers in a single matrix

•  composites consisting of two constituents at the nanometer or molecular level.

• Commonly one of these compounds is inorganic and the other one organic in nature.

• The first hybrid materials were the paints made from inorganic and organic components that
were used thousands of years ago.

•  Rubber is an example of the use of inorganic materials as fillers for organic polymers.

Classification

CLASS I

• are those that show weak interactions between the two phases, such as van der Waals,
hydrogen bonding or weak electrostatic interactions.

CLASS II

• are those that show strong chemical interactions between the components such as covalent
bonds.

•  formed when the discrete inorganic building blocks, e.g. clusters, are covalently bonded to the
organic polymers or inorganic and organic polymers are covalently connected with each other.
Applications

• Decorative coatings obtained by the embedding of organic dyes in hybrid coatings.

• Fire retardant materials for construction industry.

• Corrosion protection

• Scratch-resistant coatings with hydrophobic or anti-fogging properties