Applications of Advanced Composites

Some basic principles involved in the production of composites have been known since ancient times. The ancient Egyptians developed methods for incorporating glass fibers in vases and other types of containers. Such applications were largely decorative, however, 

The special needs of the space program motivated the search for composite materials for other reasons also. For example, during tests of the first Atlas ICBM (intercontinental ballistic missile), engineers were concerned that the rocket s metallic components would not survive the missile s reentry into the atmosphere they feared it would melt down because of the intense heat to which it was exposed. By the late 1950s, therefore, aerospace researchers had begun to look for satisfactory substitutes for metal alloys for such applications. With that research, the modern held of composite design was horn. One of the first composites tested consisted of pieces of glass embedded in melamine, purported to be the first composite material developed for aerospace applications. 

An important breakthrough in the development of advanced composites came in the late 1960s the invention of boron and carbon filaments in the United States, the United Kingdom, and Japan. These fibers were soon incorporated into some of the earliest 

Other military applications continue to account for a large fraction of all types of advanced composites produced today. Such materials are used, for example, in the construction of missile systems, their ammunition components, and their launch systems. Missile-related components that use composites include launcher tubes, armor-piercing penetrators, and stanchion and torpedo tubes used in submarines. 

Although few applications have so far been found for ceramic matrix composites, they have shown considerable promise for certain military applications, especially in the manufacture of armor for personnel protection and military vehicles. Historically, monolithic ( pure ) ceramics such as aluminum oxide (Al203), boron carbide (B4C), silicon carbide (SiC), tungsten carbide (WC), and titanium diboride (TiB2) have been used as basic components of armor systems. Research has now shown that embedding some type of reinforcement, such as silicon boride (SiBg) or silicon carbide (SiC), can improve the mechanical properties of any of these ceramics. 

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Ting J-M., and Lake, M.L. Processing, fabrication, and applications of advanced composites, Ed., ASM International, Materials Park, OH, 1993, pp 117 127. 

Specific applications of advanced composites in spacecraft are too numerous to be comprehensively reviewed in the present paper. The several examples discussed here will serve to illustrate how the material selection and structural design are related to operational constraints. 

Mertz, D. R. and Gillespie, J. W. (1996), Rehabilitation of steel bridge girders through the application of advanced composite materials . Final Report to the Transportation Research Board, Washington, DC, Project NCHRP-IDEA, 93-IDll,... 

In the aircraft industry advanced composites are penetrating into large markets. The first application of advanced composites was in the F14 Fighter in 1971. At that time, boron-fiber reinforced composite was used. Today, the materialsused to make the "Harrier AV-8B" consists of 25 wt advanced composites reinforced by carbon or aramid fibers. For commercial aircraft, advanced composites were applied for the first time in 1977, for the secondary structural parts of the DC-10. Afterward, the proportion of advanced composites used has risen from 3 wt on the Boeing 767 in 1982 to 20 wt of the Air-Bus A320 in 1987. Moreover, the application of advanced composites has extended into the primary structural parts of aircraft. In the future, we expect, the next generation aircraft will consist of more than 30 vjt% of advanced composites. 

Pandey AC, Sharma PK, Dutta RK (2007) Recent advances in biomedical applications of multifunctional composites. In Tiwari A (ed) Recent developments in bio-nanocomposites for biomedical applications.Nova Science, Hauppauge, pp 409-432... 

The use of advanced composites has increased significantly in the last decade. The properties of high-specific strength and stiffness make composites ideal for many aerospace, automotive, and infrastructure applications. Fiber-reinforced composites, which commonly use thermosetting resins such as epoxies as the matrix material, have some inherent deficiencies. These include the need for multistep processing, limited shelf-life, low toughness, sensitivity to moisture, and the inability to reprocess or reform the material [1]. 

The use of epoxy resins in industry extends back over fifty years since their introduction commercially and they have found an extremely wide range of applications as diverse as coatings and adhesives for electronics to use as matrix materials in aerospace composites. It is the use of advanced composites that is pressuring the advancement of epoxy science and the improvement of epoxy based... 

The rise of T xp as a result of chemical side reactions is not desirable with respect to the material s properties. Usually, after such post-cure, polymers have higher Young moduli but become more brittle. The brittleness seriously lowers the applicability of these polymers as engineering plastics and matrices of advanced composites. 

The introduction and development of advanced composite material opened the door to new and innovative application in civil and structural engineering. Key points of this investigation are to evaluate the application of geofiber in gass-eoncrete composites and ... 

Application of Phase Diagrams to the Production of Advanced Composites... 

Figure 1.9 is reprinted from Advanced Engineering Materials, Vol. 4, F Christin, Design, fabrication, and application of thermostructural composites (TSC) like C/C, C/SiC, and SiC/SiC composites, pp. 903-912,2002, with permission from Wiley - VCH. 

Highly cross-linked epoxy resins combine high strength stiffness thermal, chemical, and environmental stability adhesion low weight processability excellent creep resistance and favorable economics. These resins are widely applied as coatings, casting resins, structural adhesives, and matrix resins of advanced composite materials. The broad spectrum of applications ranges from the automotive and aerospace industries to corrosion protection and microelectronics. 

Extensive usage of advanced composites has been committed to production on the Boeing aircraft family of the 757, 767, and 737. The history of Boeing s use of RPs is well documented. Applications include secondary exterior structure with functional and decorative internal... 

In the future it would seem that greater use will be made of materials combinations and of advanced composite materials -perhaps associated with space exploration. Lighter-weight structures will be increasingly demanded for many applications and bonded stressed-skin concepts are likely to find increasing favour. Adhesives will have an invaluable role to play in all such instances. 

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