COMPOSITE

MATERIALS
WHAT IS A COMPOSITE MATERIAL

A composite material is a combination of two materials with

different physical and chemical properties. When they are
combined, they create a material which is specialized to do a
certain job, for instance to become stronger, lighter or resistant
to electricity. They can also improve strength and stiffness. The
reason for their use over traditional materials is because they
improve the properties of their base materials and are
applicable in many situations.
CONTENTS

•History

•What are the different types?

•What are the advantages?

•Why use them?

•Examples
BRIEF HISTORY
BRIEF HISTORY

Humans have used composites for thousands of years. In 3400

B.C the first man made composites were engineered by the
Mesopotamians in Iraq. The ancient society glued wood strips on top
of each other at different angles to create plywood. Following this, in
around 2181 B.C the Egyptians started to make death masks out of
linen or papyrus soaked in plaster. Later on, both of these societies
started to reinforce their materials with straw to strengthen mud
bricks, pottery and boats.
BRIEF HISTORY

• In 1200 A.D, the Mongols began to engineer composite bows which

were incredibly effective at the time. These were made out of wood,
bamboo, bone, cattle tendons, horn and silk bonded with pine resin.
• Following the industrial revolution, synthetic resins started to take a
solid form by using polymerisation. In the 1900s this new-found
knowledge about chemicals led to the creation of various plastics such
as polyester, phenolic and vinyl. Synthetics then started to be
developed, Bakelite was created by the chemist Leo Baekeland. The fact
that it did not conduct electricity and was heat resistant meant it could
be widely used across many industries.
BRIEF HISTORY

The 1930s was an incredibly important time for the advancement of

composites. Glass fibre was introduced by Owens Corning who also
started the first fibre reinforced polymer (FRP) industry. The resins
engineered during this era are still used to this day and, in 1936,
unsaturated polyester resins were patented. Two years later, higher
performance resin systems became accessible.
BRIEF HISTORY

• The first carbon fibre was patented in 1961 and then became
commercially available. Then, in the mid-1990s, composites were
starting to become increasingly common for manufacturing processes
and construction due to their relatively cheap cost compared to
materials that had been used previously.
• The composites on a Boeing 787 Dreamliner in the mid-
2000s substantiated their use for high strength applications.
WHAT ARE THE
DIFFERENT TYPES?
WHAT ARE THE DIFFERENT TYPES?

 Ceramic matrix composite: Ceramic  Glass fibre reinforced concrete:

spread out in a ceramic matrix. These are Concrete which is poured into a glass
better than normal ceramics as they are fibre structure with high zirconia content
thermal shock and fracture resistant
 Translucent concrete: Concrete which
 Metal matrix composite: A metal spread encases optic fibres
throughout a matrix
 Engineered wood: Manufactured wood
 Reinforced concrete: Concrete combined with other cheap materials. One
strengthened by a material with high example would be particle board. A
tensile strength such as steel reinforcing speciality material like veneer can also be
bars found in this composite

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WHAT ARE THE DIFFERENT TYPES?

 Plywood: Engineered wood by gluing  Wood-plastic composite: Either wood

many thin layers of wood together at fibre or flour cast in plastic
different angles
 Cement-bonded wood fibre: Mineralised
 Engineered bamboo: Strips of bamboo wood pieces cast in cement. This
fibre glued together to make a board. This composite has insulating and acoustic
is a useful composite due to the fact it has properties
higher compressive, tensile and flexural
 Fibreglass: Glass fibre combined with a
strength than wood
plastic which is relatively inexpensive and
 Parquetry: A square of many wood flexible
pieces put together often out of hardwood.
It is sold as a decorative piece

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WHAT ARE THE DIFFERENT TYPES?
 Carbon Fibre reinforced polymer:
Carbon fibre set in plastic which has a
high strength-to-weight ratio
 Sandwich panel: A variety of composites
that are layered on top of each other
 Composite honeycomb: A selection of
composites in many hexagons to form a
honeycomb shape.
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 Papier-mache: Paper bound with an
adhesive. These are found in crafts
 Plastic coated paper: Paper coated with
plastic to improve durability. An example
of where this is used is in playing cards
 Syntactic foams: Light materials created
by filling metals, ceramics or plastics with
microballoons. These ballons are made
using either glass, carbon or plastic
 WHAT ARE THE
ADVANTAGES OF
COMPOSITE MATERIALS?
WHAT ARE THE ADVANTAGES OF COMPOSITE MATERIALS?

 Low costs compared to metals

 Design flexibility
 Resistance to a wide range of chemical
agents
 Low weight
 Durability
 Electric insulation
 High Impact strength

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WHY USE COMPOSITES?
 WHAT ARE THE DIFFERENT TYPES/

 Weight saving is one of the main reasons for using composite materials rather than conventional materials
for components. While composites are lighter they can also be stronger than other materials, for example,
reinforced carbon-fibre can be up to five times stronger than 1020 grade steel and only one fifth of the
weight, making it perfect for structural purposes.

 Another advantage of using a composite over a conventional type of material is the thermal and chemical
resistance as well as the electrical insulation properties. Unlike conventional materials, composites can
have multiple properties not often found in a single material.

 Fibre reinforced composites, such as fibre reinforced plastic (FRP composites), are finding increasing use
in the design and manufacture of final products for commercialisation.

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 EXAMPLES OF
COMPOSITE USES
EXAMPLES OF COMPOSITE USES

 Electrical equipment
 Aerospace structures
 Infrastructure
 Pipes and tanks
 Homes can be framed using plastic laminated
beams

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