Advanced Composite Materials

Catalog description

Composite materials are ideal for structural applications where high strength-to-weight and stiffness-to-weight ratios are required. Aircraft and spacecraft are typical weight sensitive structures in which composite materials cost-effective. Usually, composite materials consist of two separate components, the matrix and the filler. The matrix is the component that holds the filler together and the filler makes the material strong. Most aerospace-application composites have strong, stiff long fibers as the fillers. The fiber makes the material behaves differently in different directions. This anisotropic behavior introduces complication in the analysis of the composite material. The course introduces the student to the basic concepts of the mechanical behavior of composite materials. Specific topics include the stress-strain relation for a lamina, micromechanics of composite materials, bending, buckling, and vibration of composite plates with various laminations, fatigue, fracture mechanics, and joints of composite structures.