Updated and expanded coverage of the latest trends and developments in fiber composite materials, processes, and applications Analysis and Performance of Fiber Composites, Fourth Edition features updated and expanded coverage of all technical aspects of fiber composites, including the latest trends and developments in materials, manufacturing processes, and materials applications, as well as the latest experimental characterization methods. Fiber reinforced composite materials have become a fundamental part of modern product manufacturing. Routinely used in such high-tech fields as electronics, automobiles, aircraft, and space vehicles, they are also essential to everyday staples of modern life, such as containers, piping, and appliances. Little wonder, when one considers their ease of fabrication, outstanding mechanical properties, design versatility, light weight, corrosion and impact resistance, and excellent fatigue strength. This Fourth Edition of the classic reference—the standard text for composite materials courses, worldwide—offers an unrivalled review of such an important class of engineering materials. Still the most comprehensive, up-to-date treatment of the mechanics, materials, performance, analysis, fabrication, and characterization of fiber composite materials available, Analysis and Performance of Fiber Composites, Fourth Edition features: Expanded coverage of materials and manufacturing, with additional information on materials, processes, and material applications Updated and expanded information on experimental characterization methods—including many industry specific tests Discussions of damage identification techniques using nondestructive evaluation (NDE) Coverage of the influence of moisture on performance of polymer matrix composites, stress corrosion of glass fibers and glass reinforced plastics, and damage due to low-velocity impact New end-of-chapter problems and exercises with solutions found on an accompanying website Computer analysis of laminates No other reference provides such exhaustive coverage of fiber composites with such clarity and depth. Analysis and Performance of Fiber Composites, Fourth Edition is, without a doubt, an indispensable resource for practicing engineers, as well as students of mechanics, mechanical engineering, and aerospace engineering.

Updated and improved, Stress Analysis of Fiber-Reinforced Composite Materials, Hyer's work remains the definitive introduction to the use of mechanics to understand stresses in composites caused by deformations, loading, and temperature changes. In contrast to a materials science approach, Hyer emphasizes the micromechanics of stress and deformation for composite material analysis. The book provides invaluable analytic tools for students and engineers seeking to understand composite properties and failure limits. A key feature is a series of analytic problems continuing throughout the text, starting from relatively simple problems, which are built up step-by-step with accompanying calculations. The problem series uses the same material properties, so the impact of the elastic and thermal expansion properties for a single-layer of FR material on the stress, strains, elastic properties, thermal expansion and failure stress of cross-ply and angle-ply symmetric and unsymmetric laminates can be evaluated. The book shows how thermally induced stresses and strains due to curing, add to or subtract from those due to applied loads.Another important element, and one unique to this book, is an emphasis on the difference between specifying the applied loads, i.e., force and moment results, often the case in practice, versus specifying strains and curvatures and determining the subsequent stresses and force and moment results. This represents a fundamental distinction in solid mechanics.

Military use of advanced polymer matrix composites (PMC)â€"consisting of a resin matrix reinforced by high-performance carbon or organic fibersâ€"while extensive, accounts for less that 10 percent of the domestic market. Nevertheless, advanced composites are expected to play an even greater role in future military systems, and DOD will continue to require access to reliable sources of affordable, high-performance fibers including commercial materials and manufacturing processes. As a result of these forecasts, DOD requested the NRC to assess the challenges and opportunities associated with advanced PMCs with emphasis on high-performance fibers. This report provides an assessment of fiber technology and industries, a discussion of R&D opportunities for DOD, and recommendations about accelerating technology transition, reducing costs, and improving understanding of design methodology and promising technologies.

Fiber-reinforced composites are exceptionally versatile materials whose properties can be tuned to exhibit a variety of favorable properties such as high tensile strength and resistance against wear or chemical and thermal influences. Consequently, these materials are widely used in various industrial fields such as the aircraft, marine, and automobile industry. After an overview of the general structures and properties of hybrid fiber composites, the book focuses on the manufacturing and processing of these materials and their mechanical performance, including the elucidation of failure mechanisms. A comprehensive chapter on the modeling of hybrid fiber composites from micromechanical properties to macro-scale material behavior is followed by a review of applications of these materials in structural engineering, packaging, and the automotive and aerospace industries.

Structural Health Monitoring of Biocomposites, Fibre-Reinforced Composites and Hybrid Composites provides detailed information on failure analysis, mechanical and physical properties, structural health monitoring, durability and life prediction, modelling of damage processes of natural fiber, synthetic fibers, and natural/natural, and natural/synthetic fiber hybrid composites. It provides a comprehensive review of both established and promising new technologies currently under development in the emerging area of structural health monitoring in aerospace, construction and automotive structures. In addition, it describes SHM methods and sensors related to specific composites and how advantages and limitations of various sensors and methods can help make informed choices. Written by leading experts in the field, and covering composite materials developed from different natural fibers and their hybridization with synthetic fibers, the book's chapters provide cutting-edge, up-to-date research on the characterization, analysis and modelling of composite materials. Contains contributions from leading experts in the field Discusses recent progress on failure analysis, SHM, durability, life prediction and the modelling of damage in natural fiber-based composite materials Covers experimental, analytical and numerical analysis Provides detailed and comprehensive information on mechanical properties, testing methods and modelling techniques

Fibre reinforced polymer (FRP) composites are used in almost every type of advanced engineering structure, with their usage ranging from aircraft, helicopters and spacecraft through to boats, ships and offshore platforms and to automobiles, sports goods, chemical processing equipment and civil infrastructure such as bridges and buildlings. The usage of FRP composites continues to grow at an impessive rate as these materials are used more in their existing markets and become established in relatively new markets such as biomedical devices and civil structures. A key factor driving the increased applications of composites over the recent years is the development of new advanced forms of FRP materials. This includes developments in high performance resin systems and new styles of reinforcement, such as carbon nanotubes and nanoparticles. This book provides an up-to-date account of the fabrication, mechanical properties, delamination resistance, impact tolerance and applications of 3D FRP composites. The book focuses on 3D composites made using the textile technologies of weaving, braiding, knitting and stiching as well as by z-pinning.

This book brings value to anyone working with or designing natural fiber composite structures. It helps readers understand the value these materials can add to projects, how to choose the best materials and treatments, how to safely design and fabricate products made of natural fiber composites, and how to test them for safety. It covers the characterization of natural fibers, matrices and respective composites, and how to enhance their performance and processing as well as testing and degradation issues.