Fibre reinforced composites represent excellent examples of the principles of material design where the performance of the whole is greater than the sum of its parts. They offer a vast array of materials and great scope for optimization. This is not only limited to mechanical characteristics, but also extends to thermal properties, acoustic and electromagnetic response, creep and fatigue, ballistic performance and chemical resistance. Indeed, for the great majority of parameters in which an engineer may be interested, fibre reinforced composites provide alternatives often only limited by the imaginations of the designers themselves.
This book was written with the prime intention of providing those whose interest in composites is to convert materials promise into component reality with information in sufficient depth such that they can gain an appreciation of the key issues involved. The book was foru main themes: materials considerations; component design and performance; manufacture; methods; examples of component application
Preface
Chapter 1 : Introduction
Chapter 2 : Materials and Properties
Chapter 3 : Mechanics of Material Behaviour
Chapter 4 : Beams, Plates and Shells
Chapter 5 : Aspects of Design
Chapter 6 : Manufacture
Chapter 7 : Metal and Ceramic Matrix Composites
Chapter 8 : Examples of Composite Applications
Index
