Chapter 15: Composites
School of Mechanical Engineering
Choi, Hae-Jin
Materials Science - Prof. Choi, Hae-Jin
Chapter 15 -
1
ISSUES TO ADDRESS...
• What are the classes and types of composites?
• What are the advantages of using composite
materials?
• How do we predict the stiffness and strength of the
various types of composites?
Chapter 15 -
2
Composite
• Combination of two or more individual
materials
• Design goal: obtain a more desirable
combination of properties (principle of
combined action)
– e.g., low density and high strength
Chapter 15 -
3
Terminology/Classification
• Composite:
-- Multiphase material that is artificially
made.
• Phase types:
-- Matrix - is continuous
-- Dispersed - is discontinuous and
surrounded by matrix
Adapted from Fig. 15.1(a),
Callister & Rethwisch 3e.
Chapter 15 -
4
Terminology/Classification
• Matrix phase:
woven
fibers
-- Purposes are to:
- transfer stress to dispersed phase
- protect dispersed phase from
environment
-- Types:
0.5 mm
MMC, CMC, PMC
metal
ceramic
polymer
• Dispersed phase:
cross
section
view
-- Purpose:
MMC: increase sy, TS, creep resist.
CMC: increase KIc
PMC: increase E, sy, TS, creep resist.
-- Types: particle, fiber, structural
0.5 mm
Reprinted with permission from
D. Hull and T.W. Clyne, An
Introduction to Composite Materials,
2nd ed., Cambridge University Press,
New York, 1996, Fig. 3.6, p. 47.
Chapter 15 -
5
Classification of Composites
Composites
Particle-reinforced
Largeparticle
Dispersionstrengthened
Fiber-reinforced
Continuous
(aligned)
Structural
Discontinuous
(short)
Aligned
Randomly
oriented
Laminates
Sandwich
panels
Adapted from Fig. 15.2,
Callister & Rethwisch 3e.
Chapter 15 -
6
Classification: Particle-Reinforced (i)
Particle-reinforced
• Examples:
- Spheroidite matrix:
ferrite (a)
steel
Fiber-reinforced
(ductile)
60 mm
- WC/Co
cemented
carbide
matrix:
cobalt
(ductile,
tough)
:
Structural
particles:
cementite
(Fe C)
3
(brittle)
Adapted from Fig.
11.19, Callister &
Rethwisch 3e. (Fig.
11.19 is copyright
United States Steel
Corporation, 1971.)
particles:
WC
(brittle,
hard)
Adapted from Fig.
15.4, Callister &
Rethwisch 3e. (Fig.
15.4 is courtesy
Carboloy Systems,
Department, General
Electric Company.)
600 mm
- Automobile matrix:
tire rubber rubber
(compliant)
0.75 mm
particles:
carbon
black
(stiff)
Adapted from Fig.
15.5, Callister &
Rethwisch 3e. (Fig.
15.5 is courtesy
Goodyear Tire and
Rubber Company.)
Chapter 15 -
7
Classification: Particle-Reinforced (ii)
Particle-reinforced
Fiber-reinforced
Structural
Concrete – gravel + sand + cement + water
- Why sand and gravel?
Sand fills voids between gravel particles
Reinforced concrete – Reinforce with steel rebar or remesh
- increases strength - even if cement matrix is cracked
Prestressed concrete
- Rebar/remesh placed under tension during setting of concrete
- Release of tension after setting places concrete in a state of compression
- To fracture concrete, applied tensile stress must exceed this
compressive stress
Posttensioning – tighten nuts to place concrete under compression
threaded
rod
nut
Chapter 15 -
8
Classification: Particle-Reinforced (iii)
Particle-reinforced
Fiber-reinforced
Structural
• Elastic modulus, Ec, of composites:
-- two “rule of mixture” extremes:
upper limit: Ec = Vm Em + Vp Ep
E(GPa)
350
Data:
Cu matrix 30 0
w/tungsten 250
particles
20 0
150
0
lower limit:
1 Vm Vp
=
+
Ec Em Ep
20 40 60 80
(Cu)
Adapted from Fig. 15.3,
Callister & Rethwisch 3e.
(Fig. 15.3 is from R.H.
Krock, ASTM Proc, Vol.
63, 1963.)
10 0 vol% tungsten
(W)
• Application to other properties:
-- Electrical conductivity, se: Replace E’s in equations with se’s.
-- Thermal conductivity, k: Replace E’s in equations with k’s.
Chapter 15 -
9
Classification: Fiber-Reinforced (i)
Particle-reinforced
Fiber-reinforced
Structural
• Fibers very strong in tension
– Provide significant strength improvement to the
composite
– Ex: fiber-glass - continuous glass filaments in a
polymer matrix
• Glass fibers
– strength and stiffness
• Polymer matrix
– holds fibers in place
– protects fiber surfaces
– transfers load to fibers
Chapter 15 -
10
Classification: Fiber-Reinforced (ii)
Particle-reinforced
Fiber-reinforced
Structural
• Fiber Types
– Whiskers - thin single crystals - large length to diameter ratios
• graphite, silicon nitride, silicon carbide
• high crystal perfection – extremely strong, strongest known
• very expensive and difficult to disperse
– Fibers
• polycrystalline or amorphous
• generally polymers or ceramics
• Ex: alumina, aramid, E-glass, boron, UHMWPE
– Wires
• metals – steel, molybdenum, tungsten
Chapter 15 -
11
Longitudinal
direction
Fiber Alignment
Adapted from Fig. 15.8,
Callister & Rethwisch 3e.
Transverse
direction
aligned
continuous
aligned
random
discontinuous
Chapter 15 -
12
Classification: Fiber-Reinforced (iii)
Particle-reinforced
Fiber-reinforced
• Aligned Continuous fibers
• Examples:
-- Metal: g'(Ni3Al)-a(Mo)
-- Ceramic: Glass w/SiC fibers
by eutectic solidification.
formed by glass slurry
Eglass = 76 GPa; ESiC = 400 GPa.
matrix: a (Mo) (ductile)
(a)
2 mm
fibers: g ’ (Ni3Al) (brittle)
From W. Funk and E. Blank, “Creep
deformation of Ni3Al-Mo in-situ composites",
Metall. Trans. A Vol. 19(4), pp. 987-998,
1988. Used with permission.
Structural
(b)
fracture
surface
From F.L. Matthews and R.L.
Rawlings, Composite Materials;
Engineering and Science, Reprint
ed., CRC Press, Boca Raton, FL,
2000. (a) Fig. 4.22, p. 145 (photo by
J. Davies); (b) Fig. 11.20, p. 349
(micrograph by H.S. Kim, P.S.
Rodgers, and R.D. Rawlings). Used
with permission of CRC
Press, Boca Raton, FL.
Chapter 15 -
13
Classification: Fiber-Reinforced (iv)
Particle-reinforced
Fiber-reinforced
• Discontinuous fibers, random in 2 dimensions
• Example: Carbon-Carbon
-- fabrication process:
- carbon fibers embedded
in polymer resin matrix,
- polymer resin pyrolyzed
at up to 2500ºC.
-- uses: disk brakes, gas
turbine exhaust flaps,
missile nose cones.
(b)
(a)
Structural
C fibers:
very stiff
very strong
C matrix:
less stiff
view onto plane less strong
500 mm
fibers lie
in plane
• Other possibilities:
-- Discontinuous, random 3D
-- Discontinuous, aligned
Adapted from F.L. Matthews and R.L. Rawlings,
Composite Materials; Engineering and Science,
Reprint ed., CRC Press, Boca Raton, FL, 2000.
(a) Fig. 4.24(a), p. 151; (b) Fig. 4.24(b) p. 151.
(Courtesy I.J. Davies) Reproduced with
permission of CRC Press, Boca Raton, FL.
Chapter 15 -
14
Classification: Fiber-Reinforced (v)
Particle-reinforced
Fiber-reinforced
Structural
• Critical fiber length for effective stiffening & strengthening:
fiber ultimate tensile strength
sf d
fiber length 
2c
fiber diameter
shear strength of
fiber-matrix interface
• Ex: For fiberglass, common fiber length > 15 mm needed
• For longer fibers, stress transference from matrix is more efficient
Short, thick fibers:
sd
fiber length  f
2c
Low fiber efficiency
Long, thin fibers:
sd
fiber length  f
2c
High fiber efficiency
Chapter 15 -
15
Composite Stiffness:
Longitudinal Loading
Continuous fibers - Estimate fiber-reinforced composite
modulus of elasticity for continuous fibers
• Longitudinal deformation
sc = smVm + sfVf
volume fraction

Ecl = EmVm + Ef Vf
and
c = m = f
isostrain
Ecl = longitudinal modulus
c = composite
f = fiber
m = matrix
Chapter 15 -
16
Composite Stiffness:
Transverse Loading
• In transverse loading the fibers carry less of the load
c= mVm + fVf
and
s c = sm = sf = s
isostress

1
Vm Vf


Ect Em Ef

EmEf
Ect 
VmEf  Vf Em

Ect = transverse modulus
c = composite
f = fiber
m = matrix
Chapter 15 -
17
Composite Production Methods (i)
• Pultrusion
– Continuous fibers pulled through resin tank, then
to preforming and curing dies
Fig. 15.13, Callister & Rethwisch 3e.
Chapter 15 -
18
Composite Production Methods (ii)
• Filament Winding
– Ex: pressure tanks
– Continuous filaments wound onto mandrel
Adapted from Fig. 15.15, Callister & Rethwisch 3e.
[Fig. 15.15 is from N. L. Hancox, (Editor), Fibre
Composite Hybrid Materials, The Macmillan
Company, New York, 1981.]
Chapter 15 -
19
Classification: Structural
Particle-reinforced
Fiber-reinforced
Structural
• Laminates -- stacked and bonded fiber-reinforced sheets
- stacking sequence: e.g., 0º/90º
- benefit: balanced in-plane stiffness
• Sandwich panels
Adapted from
Fig. 15.16,
Callister &
Rethwisch 3e.
-- honeycomb core between two facing sheets
- benefits: low density, large bending stiffness
face sheet
adhesive layer
honeycomb
Adapted from Fig. 15.18,
Callister & Rethwisch 3e.
(Fig. 15.18 is from Engineered Materials
Handbook, Vol. 1, Composites, ASM International, Materials Park, OH, 1987.)
Chapter 15 -
20
Composite Benefits
• CMCs: Increased toughness
Force
• PMCs: Increased E/r
10
particle-reinf
E(GPa)
10
ceramics
3
2
PMCs
10
fiber-reinf
metal/
metal alloys
1
un-reinf
0.1
polymers
0.01
0.1 0.3
Bend displacement
• MMCs:
Increased
creep
resistance
3
10 30
Density, r [mg/m3]
10 -4
ss (s-1)
1
6061 Al
10 -6
10 -8
6061 Al
w/SiC
whiskers
10 -10
20 30 50
Adapted from T.G. Nieh, "Creep rupture of a
silicon-carbide reinforced aluminum
composite", Metall. Trans. A Vol. 15(1), pp.
139-146, 1984. Used with permission.
s(MPa)
100 200
Chapter 15 -
21
Summary
• Composites types are designated by:
-- the matrix material (CMC, MMC, PMC)
-- the reinforcement (particles, fibers, structural)
• Composite property benefits:
-- MMC: enhanced E, s, creep performance
-- CMC: enhanced KIc
-- PMC: enhanced E/r, sy, TS/r
• Particulate-reinforced:
-- Types: large-particle and dispersion-strengthened
-- Properties are isotropic
• Fiber-reinforced:
-- Types: continuous (aligned)
discontinuous (aligned or random)
-- Properties can be isotropic or anisotropic
• Structural:
-- Laminates and sandwich panels
Chapter 15 -
22