Introduction to

Composites

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figun_16_p226
ISSUES TO ADDRESS...

• What are the classes and types of composites?

• What are the advantages of using composite
materials?

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Composite
 Combination of two or more individual materials

 Design goal: obtain a more desirable combination of

properties (principle of combined action)
 e.g., low density and high strength

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Examples of natural composites
 Wood – cellulose fibers encased in lignin

 Bone – composed of a soft protein called

collagen and a brittle mineral called
apatite

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Differences in microstructure

 Monolithic – uniform, continuous and

made of a single material;

 Composite – non-uniform, discontinuous,

multiphase

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Terminology/Classification
• Composite:
-- Multiphase material that is artificially
made.

• Phase types:
-- Matrix - is continuous
-- Dispersed - is discontinuous and
surrounded by matrix

Adapted from Fig. 16.1(a),

Callister & Rethwisch 8e.

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fig_16_01
Terminology/Classification
• Matrix phase: woven
-- Purposes are to: fibers
- transfer stress to dispersed phase
- protect dispersed phase from
environment
-- Types: MMC, CMC, PMC 0.5 mm
cross
metal ceramic polymer section
view
• Dispersed phase:
-- Purpose:
MMC: increase σy, TS, creep resist. 0.5 mm
CMC: increase KIc Reprinted with permission from
D. Hull and T.W. Clyne, An
PMC: increase E, σy, TS, creep resist. Introduction to Composite Materials,
2nd ed., Cambridge University Press,
-- Types: particle, fiber, structural New York, 1996, Fig. 3.6, p. 47.
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 Classification of Composites
Composites

Particle-reinforced Fiber-reinforced Structural

Large- Dispersion- Continuous Discontinuous Laminates Sandwich

particle strengthened (aligned) (short) panels

Aligned Randomly
oriented
Adapted from Fig. 16.2,
Callister & Rethwisch 8e.

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Classification: Particle-Reinforced (i)

Particle-reinforced Fiber-reinforced Structural

• Examples:
- Spheroidite matrix: particles: Adapted from Fig.

steel ferrite (α) cementite 10.19, Callister &

Rethwisch 8e. (Fig.
(ductile) (Fe C) 10.19 is copyright
3 United States Steel
(brittle) Corporation, 1971.)
60 µm
Adapted from Fig.
- WC/Co matrix: particles: 16.4, Callister &
cemented cobalt WC Rethwisch 8e. (Fig.
16.4 is courtesy
(ductile, (brittle,
carbide tough)
: hard)
Carboloy Systems,
Department, General
Electric Company.)
600 µm
Adapted from Fig.
16.5, Callister &
- Automobile matrix: particles: Rethwisch 8e. (Fig.
tire rubber rubber carbon 16.5 is courtesy
(compliant) black 11
Goodyear Tire and
Rubber Company.)
(stiff)
0.75 µm
Classification: Particle-Reinforced (ii)

Particle-reinforced Fiber-reinforced Structural

Concrete – gravel + sand + cement + water

- Why sand and gravel? Sand fills voids between gravel particles
Reinforced concrete – Reinforce with steel rebar or remesh
- increases strength - even if cement matrix is cracked

Prestressed concrete
- Rebar/remesh placed under tension during setting of concrete
- Release of tension after setting places concrete in a state of compression
- To fracture concrete, applied tensile stress must exceed this
compressive stress

Posttensioning – tighten nuts to place concrete under compression

threaded
rod
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nut
Classification: Particle-Reinforced (iii)

Particle-reinforced Fiber-reinforced Structural

• Elastic modulus, Ec, of composites:
-- two “rule of mixture” extremes:
upper limit: Ec = Vm Em + Vp Ep
E(GPa)
Data: 350
lower limit: Adapted from Fig. 16.3,
Cu matrix 300 Callister & Rethwisch 8e.
w/tungsten 250 1 Vm Vp (Fig. 16.3 is from R.H.
= + Krock, ASTM Proc, Vol.
particles 200 Ec Em Ep 63, 1963.)

150

0 20 40 60 80 10 0 vol% tungsten
(Cu) (W)
• Application to other properties:
-- Electrical conductivity, σe: Replace E’s in equations with σe’s.
-- Thermal conductivity, k: Replace E’s in equations
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with k’s.
Classification: Fiber-Reinforced (i)

Particle-reinforced Fiber-reinforced Structural

• Fibers very strong in tension
– Provide significant strength improvement to the
composite
– Ex: fiber-glass - continuous glass filaments in a
polymer matrix
• Glass fibers
– strength and stiffness
• Polymer matrix
– holds fibers in place
– protects fiber surfaces
– transfers load to fibers

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Classification: Fiber-Reinforced (ii)

Particle-reinforced Fiber-reinforced Structural

• Fiber Types
– Whiskers - thin single crystals - large length to diameter ratios
• graphite, silicon nitride, silicon carbide
• high crystal perfection – extremely strong, strongest known
• very expensive and difficult to disperse
– Fibers
• polycrystalline or amorphous
• generally polymers or ceramics
• Ex: alumina, aramid, E-glass, boron, UHMWPE
– Wires
• metals – steel, molybdenum, tungsten

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 Longitudinal Fiber Alignment
direction

Adapted from Fig. 16.8,

Callister & Rethwisch 8e.

Transverse
direction

aligned aligned random

continuous discontinuous
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Classification: Fiber-Reinforced (iii)
Particle-reinforced Fiber-reinforced
• Aligned Continuous fibers
• Examples:
-- Metal: γ'(Ni3Al)-α(Mo)
by eutectic solidification.
matrix: α (Mo) (ductile)
2 µm
fibers: γ ’ (Ni3Al) (brittle)
From W. Funk and E. Blank, “Creep
deformation of Ni3Al-Mo in-situ composites",
Metall. Trans. A Vol. 19(4), pp. 987-998,
1988. Used with permission.
Structural
-- Ceramic: Glass w/SiC fibers
formed by glass slurry
Eglass = 76 GPa; ESiC = 400 GPa.
(a) fracture
surface
From F.L. Matthews and R.L.
Rawlings, Composite Materials;
Engineering and Science, Reprint
(b)
ed., CRC Press, Boca Raton, FL,
2000. (a) Fig. 4.22, p. 145 (photo by
J. Davies); (b) Fig. 11.20, p. 349
(micrograph by H.S. Kim, P.S.
Rodgers, and R.D. Rawlings). Used
with permission of CRC
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Press, Boca Raton, FL.
Classification: Fiber-Reinforced (iv)
Particle-reinforced Fiber-reinforced Structural
• Discontinuous fibers, random in 2 dimensions
• Example: Carbon-Carbon C fibers:
-- fabrication process: very stiff
- carbon fibers embedded very strong
in polymer resin matrix, (b)
C matrix:
500 µm
- polymer resin pyrolyzed less stiff
at up to 2500ºC. view onto plane less strong
-- uses: disk brakes, gas
fibers lie
turbine exhaust flaps,
(a) in plane
missile nose cones.
• Other possibilities:
-- Discontinuous, random 3D Adapted from F.L. Matthews and R.L. Rawlings,
Composite Materials; Engineering and Science,
-- Discontinuous, aligned Reprint ed., CRC Press, Boca Raton, FL, 2000.
(a) Fig. 4.24(a), p. 151; (b) Fig. 4.24(b) p. 151.
(Courtesy I.J. Davies) Reproduced with
permission of CRC Press, Boca 18 Raton, FL.
Composite Production Methods (i)
Pultrusion
 Continuous fibers pulled through resin tank to impregnate fibers with thermosetting
resin
 Impregnated fibers pass through steel die that preforms to the desired shape
 Preformed stock passes through a curing die that is
 precision machined to impart final shape
 heated to initiate curing of the resin matrix

Fig. 16.13, Callister & Rethwisch 8e.

Composite Production Methods
(ii)
 Filament Winding
Continuous reinforcing fibers are accurately positioned in a predetermined
pattern to form a hollow (usually cylindrical) shape
 Fibers are fed through a resin bath to impregnate with thermosetting resin
 Impregnated fibers are continuously wound (typically automatically) onto a
mandrel
 After appropriate number of layers added, curing is carried out either in an
oven or at room temperature
 The mandrel is removed to give the final product
Adapted from Fig. 16.15, Callister & Rethwisch 8e.
[Fig. 16.15 is from N. L. Hancox, (Editor), Fibre
Composite Hybrid Materials, The Macmillan
Company, New York, 1981.]
Classification: Structural
Particle-reinforced Fiber-reinforced Structural
• Laminates -
-- stacked and bonded fiber-reinforced sheets
- stacking sequence: e.g., 0º/90º
Adapted from
- benefit: balanced in-plane stiffness Fig. 16.16,
Callister &
Rethwisch 8e.
• Sandwich panels
-- honeycomb core between two facing sheets
- benefits: low density, large bending stiffness
face sheet
adhesive layer
honeycomb

Adapted from Fig. 16.18,

Callister & Rethwisch 8e.
(Fig. 16.18 is from Engineered Materials 21
Handbook, Vol. 1, Composites, ASM International, Materials Park, OH, 1987.)
Composite Benefits
• CMCs: Increased toughness • PMCs: Increased E/ρ
Force ceramics
particle-reinf 10 3
E(GPa) PMCs
10 2
10 metal/
fiber-reinf
1 metal alloys
un-reinf
0.1 polymers
0.01
Bend displacement 0.1 0.3 1 3 10 30
10 -4 Density, ρ [mg/m3]
εss (s-1) 6061 Al
• MMCs: 10 -6
Adapted from T.G. Nieh, "Creep rupture of a
Increased silicon-carbide reinforced aluminum
composite", Metall. Trans. A Vol. 15(1), pp.
creep 10 -8 6061 Al 139-146, 1984. Used with permission.

resistance w/SiC
whiskers σ(MPa) 22
-10
10
20 30 50 100 200
Summary
• Composites types are designated by:
-- the matrix material (CMC, MMC, PMC)
-- the reinforcement (particles, fibers, structural)
• Composite property benefits:
-- MMC: enhanced E, σ∗, creep performance
-- CMC: enhanced KIc
-- PMC: enhanced E/ρ, σy, TS/ρ
• Particulate-reinforced:
-- Types: large-particle and dispersion-strengthened
-- Properties are isotropic
• Fiber-reinforced:
-- Types: continuous (aligned)
discontinuous (aligned or random)
-- Properties can be isotropic or anisotropic
• Structural:
-- Laminates and sandwich panels
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End

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