Design concept reinforced plastic

Another important orienting fabricating procedure concerns applying directional properties to reinforced plastics. This subject is reviewed in Chapter 3, DESIGN CONCEPT, Reinforced Plastic Directional Property. 

In this book no prior knowledge of plastics is assumed. Chapter 1 provides a brief introduction to the structure of plastics and it provides an insight to the way in which their unique structure affects their performance. There is a resume of the main types of plastics which are available. Chapter 2 deals with the mechanical properties of unreinforced and reinforced plastics under the general heading of deformation. The time dependent behaviour of the materials is introduced and simple design procedures are illustrated. Chapter 3 continues the discussion on properties but concentrates on fracture as caused by creep, fatigue and impact. The concepts of fracture mechanics are also introduced for reinforced and unreinforced plastics. 

Not long ago, the terms high performance composites and advanced composites were applied only to such composite materials as carbon fibre reinforced plastics and metal matrix composites, used in the construction of aircraft, rockets and satellites. These terms are now used for concrete-like materials and have similar meaning they are materials of improved selected properties, designed and produced for special applications. The concept of high performance is expressed by the following technical terms ... 

Renault apart, the concept of the complete plastic front or rear end was slow to develop in volume cars. Lotus used PUR foam-filled ABS in the mid-1970s, while British Leyland used PUR and various thermoplastics in a range of small-volume sports cars. Their Triumph TR7 in 1976 was designed with bumpers in injection moulded PC, although the rear bumper was converted to glass reinforced nylon 12 when the fuel sensitivity of polycarbonate became apparent. What was to prove the main trend for the future... 

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