Lecture Ten

Composite Materials

Introduction to Composite Materials

• “There are many situations in engineering where no single material will be

suitable to meet a particular design requirement
• However, two or more materials in combination may possess the desired
properties and provide a solution to the material selection process
• Composite refers to any multiphase material (has two or more phases combined
to yield properties not provided by the individual material)
• By phase, we mean, a portion of matter that is homogeneous
• Composites consists of at least two dissimilar materials/constituents
• Composites are not alloys
• Alloy is a combination of two or more elements at least one of which is a metal
• The resulting material has metallic properties
• Alloys are designed to have properties that are more desirable than those of their
individual components
• They inherit some characteristics of the individual elements i.e., physical
properties e.g., density, electrical and thermal conductivity
• The engineering properties such as tensile strength are however
enhanced/modified and are vastly different from the constituent elements
• A composite is a mixture of two or more distinct materials
• The microstructure of a composite is non-uniform, discontinuous and
multiphase

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• By designing composites, we combine a variety of materials properties to
come up with a material with properties that cannot be met/provided by the
individual material (be it metal, ceramics, polymer etc)
• Materials that have specific and unusual properties are needed for a host of high
technology applications such as those found in the aerospace, underwater,
bioengineering, and transportation industries
• For example, aircraft engineers are increasingly searching for structural materials
that have low densities; are strong, stiff, and abrasion and impact resistant; and
do not easily corrode
• Generally speaking, a composite is considered to be any multiphase material
that exhibits a significant proportion of the properties of both constituent
phases such that a better combination of properties is realized
• A number of composites also occur in nature
• For example, wood consists of strong and flexible cellulose fibers surrounded
and held together by a stiffer material called lignin
• Also, bone is a composite of the strong yet soft protein collagen and the hard,
brittle mineral apatite.
• A composite is a multiphase material that is artificially made, as opposed to
one that occurs or forms naturally
• In addition, the constituent phases must be chemically dissimilar and
separated by a distinct interface
• In designing composite materials, scientists and engineers have ingeniously
combined various metals, ceramics, and polymers to produce a new generation
of extraordinary materials

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• Most composites have been created to improve combinations of mechanical
characteristics such as stiffness, toughness, and ambient and high-
temperature strength
• Many composite materials are composed of just two phases; one is termed
the matrix, which is continuous and surrounds the other phase, often called
the dispersed phase (reinforcing phase)
• The properties of composites are a function of:
1. The properties of the constituent phases
2. The relative amounts of constituent phases
3. The geometry of the dispersed phase
• Dispersed phase geometry in this context means the shape of the particles and
the particle size, distribution, and orientation
• Composites are artificially produced multiphase materials with desirable
combinations of the best properties of the constituent phases

Constituents of a Composite

• A composite is a material that is made up of at least two constituents: matrix

and reinforcement
• The matrix phase normally performs the following functions:
1. It binds the fibers together
2. Transmits an externally applied load to the fibers
3. It protects the individual fibers from surface damage
4. It prevents the propagation of cracks from fiber to fiber

Matrix: Requirements

• Must infiltrate between the reinforcing material

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 • It is the softer constituent
• Must form good interfacial bonding with the reinforcement
• Should not cause physical damage to the reinforcing material
• Examples of matrices include:
1. Polymers; thermosets (epoxy resins, polyesters) and thermoplastics
(polystyrene, polypropylene, nylon)
2. Metals; alloys such as steels, Al, Mg, Ti
3. Ceramics; glass, cements, borosilicates glass, aluminium oxide, silicon
carbide
4. Carbon
5. Graphite

Reinforcing Material: Requirements

Should be:

• Strong
• Stiff
• Low cost
• Available
• Often elongated, it is in the form of rods, strands, fibres or particles
• Normally embedded in the matrix/bonded together with the matrix

Examples of reinforcement:

1. Fibres
2. Whiskers
3. High strength steel wires
4. Laminar
5. Flakes
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 6. Particulates (large or dispersed particles)
7. Microspheres
• The properties of composite materials depend on the reinforcement type,
distribution, size, orientation and arrangement
• The resulting composite material has a balance of structural properties that are
superior to either constituent material alone
• Matrix and reinforcement are chosen so that their mechanical properties
complement each other while their deficiencies are neutralized
• For example, the reinforcement (e.g., fibre) may have high value of Youngs
Modulus and greatest strength in tension, but little resistance to bending and
compressive forces
• On the other hand, the matrix can be chosen to have high resistance to bending
and compressive forces
• Used together, these two different types of materials produce a composite with
high tensile and compressive strengths and a high resistance to bending
• Composites are classified as:
1. Particle-Reinforced Composites (Large particle, dispersion strengthened)
2. Fiber-Reinforced Composites (continuous (aligned), discontinuous
(aligned, randomly oriented))
3. Structural Composites (laminates, sandwich panels)
4. Nanocomposites

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Figure 1: Classification of Composites (Source: Callister & Rethwisch, 2018)

Table 1: Large Particle Strengthened Composites

S/NO. Composite Reinforcement

Material Matrix
1 Concrete Cement Sand & Gravel (Particulates)
2 Refractory carbide, ceramics
Metals e.g., e.g., Tungsten Carbide or
Cermets Cobalt, Nickel Titanium Carbide
3 Rubber Carbon Black, Steel Wires
Car tires (Elastomer)
4 Reinforced Steel Bars, Wire Mesh
Concrete Concrete

Table 2: Dispersion Particle Strengthened Composites

S/NO. Matrix Reinforcement

1 Metal & Metal Alloys Oxides; hard inert small fine particles
2 Thoria (ThO2); impacts high
Nickel Alloys temperature strength on nickel alloys
3 Aluminium Oxide; used to coat
Aluminium Metal Aluminium metal

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Fiber -Reinforced Composites

• Of the several composite types, the potential for reinforcement efficiency is

greatest for those that are fiber reinforced
• With fiber-reinforced composites, an applied load is transmitted to and
distributed among the fibers via the matrix phase, which in most cases is at
least moderately ductile
• Significant reinforcement is possible only if the fiber–matrix bond is strong
• On the basis of diameter and material type, fiber reinforcements are classified
as follows:
1. Whiskers—Are very thin, strong and single crystals of high perfection that
have very small diameters. Whiskers have extremely large length-to
diameter ratio
2. Fibers—normally polymers or ceramics. A fiber is a thread like form of
material
3. Wires—metals and or alloys

Table 3: Fiber Reinforcement Materials

S/N Fiber
O. Reinforcement Examples
1 Graphite, carbon, silicon nitride, aluminium oxide,
Whiskers silicon carbide
2 Aluminium oxide, aramid, silicon carbide, carbon,
Fibers boron, glass, refractory metals
3 Metallic wires High strength steel, molybdenum, tungsten

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Table 4: Fiber Reinforced Composites

S/NO. Composite Material Matrix Reinforcement

1 Polymer Matrix Composites (PMC) Polymer Resin Fibers
2 Glass-Fiber Reinforced Polymer Glass Fibers
(GFRP) Composites Polymer
3 Carbon Fiber Reinforced Polymer Carbon
(CFRP) composites Polymer
4 Aramid Fiber Reinforced Polymer Aramid fibers
(AFRP) Composites Polymer
5 Ductile metal Fibers,
e.g., alloys of Whiskers,
Metal -Matrix Composites (MMC) Al, Mg, Ti, Cu Particulates
6 Fibers,
Whiskers,
Particulates of
Ceramic -Matrix Composites Ceramics Ceramics
7 Carbon-Carbon Composites (CCC) Carbon Carbon Fiber
8 2 or more
different kind of
Single Matrix Fiber e.g., Glass
e.g., Polymer and Carbon
Hybrid Composites Resin Fibers

Advantages of Composite Materials

1. Lower density
2. Improved mechanical properties e.g., tensile and compressive strengths
3. Higher fatigue endurance
4. Higher toughness
5. Versatility and tailoring by design
6. Easy to machine
7. Can combine other properties (corrosion, wear etc)

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Disadvantages of Composite Materials

1. Anisotropic properties: most composites have direction dependent material

properties and as such they are difficult to analyse and engineer compared to
isotropic materials
2. Non-homogenous: composite materials are by definition non homogenous;
hence their material properties vary from point – to-point. This factor as well
makes them difficult to model and analyse
3. Costly: composites materials are in general expensive. They are used only in
applications where their benefits outweigh their costs. This cost can also
fluctuate
4. Difficult to fabricate: fabrication of composites is often difficult, time
consuming and expensive
5. Moisture effects: laminated composites are also sensitive to moisture and
their performance varies significantly when exposed to moisture for long
periods of time
6. Most composites are susceptible to damage
7. Not often environmentally friendly
8. Low recyclability
9. Matrix degrades
10.Low reusability

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Fiber-Reinforced Composites
Continuous and Aligned Fiber Composites
Tensile Stress–Strain Behavior—Longitudinal and Transverse Loading
• Mechanical responses of this type of composite depend on several factors,
including:
1. The stress–strain behaviors of fiber and matrix phases
2. The phase volume fractions
3. The direction in which the stress or load is applied
• In addition, the properties of a composite having its fibers aligned are highly
anisotropic, that is, they depend on the direction in which they are measured

Figure 2: Loading a Fiber Reinforced Composite (Longitudianal & Transverse

Loading) (Source: Callister & Rethwisch, 2018)”
Elastic Behavior—Longitudinal Loading: See note book

Elastic Behavior—Transverse Loading: See note book

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References

1. Callister Jr D.W. & Rethwisch D.G. (2018). Materials Science and

Engineering: An Introduction, (10th Edn. ) New York: John Wiley and Sons

2. Vernon, J. (2003). Introduction to Engineering Materials. (4th Edn.). London:

Macmillan Press Ltd.

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