Composite Materials

What are composite materials?
Composite materials refer to combining 2 or more materials together to form another object which is generally stronger then either one material by itself.
Most commonly this refers to plastics as a matrix with Fibers for the stiffness. The basic objective of plastic or resin is to seperate the fibers while achieving a very good bond between them. This helps transfer loads without damaging the fibers.
Typical examples include carbon fiber, glass fiber or Kevlar(aramid) fibers combined with some form of resin or glue. Such as Epoxy, Polyester, or Polyurethane.
Processes include Filament winding, pultrusion, hand lay-up, extrusion, injection molding, RTM and several other methods. I am currently working with filament winding and this is where I am most knowledgable. Email me if you have questions on filament winding.