FIBER AND LAMINAR

COMPOSITES

FIBERS

COMPOSITE MATERIALS
Composite materials have two or more
physically and chemically faces on a
microscopic scale separated by a distinct
interface.
In composites, the constituent which
present in larger quantities are termed as
Matrix.
The constituents which present in smaller
quantities as compared to matrix are
termed as Reinforcement.

REINFORCEMENT
The
purpose
of
adding
the
reinforcement is to get the desirable
properties of matrix.
Types of reinforcements used in
composites are :
1) Fibers
2) Whiskers
3) Flakes
4) Particulates

FIBERS
Fibers are similar to the thread which are used
as principle load resisting members in
composite
materials.
Fibers are generally used as reinforcement in the
composite materials to prevent the penetration
of the crack .

TYPES OF FIBER
(based on reinforcement)
FIBER REINFORCED
COMPOSITES
Single layered
layered

Multi

Laminates
Sandwich

Hybrid
panels

Continuous fibers
Uni - directional
orientation

Discontinuous fibers
Bi- directional

Random
orientation

Aligned

CLASSIFICATION OF FIBERS
(Based on materials)
Classification of fibers based on the
materials
used for the fibers:
1) Glass fibers
2) Carbon fibers
3) Aramide fibers
4) Boron fibers
5) Ceramic fibers.

GLASS FIBERS

Glass fibers are the most common of

all reinforcing fibers for polymeric
composites(PMCs).

The types of glass fibers used in the

fiber reinforced plastics (FRPs ) are :
1) E- glass
2) S- glass
3) C- glass

GLASS FIBER

E-GLASS:
E-glass has the lowest cost of all
commercially available reinforcing
fibers, which is the reason for its
widespread use in FRP in the
industry.
APPLICATIONS:
E-glass fibers mainly used where the
electrical insulations are required.

S-GLASS:
S-glass has the highest tensile strength
among all the glass fibers.
However, the compositional difference
and higher manufacturing cost make it
more expense than E-glass.
APPLICATIONS:
S-glass mainly used for the aircraft
components and missile casings.

C-GLASS:
C-glass has better chemical properties
than E-glass and S-glass.
APPLICATIONS:
C-glass
are
used
where
there
resistance is required against acid and
corrosion.

CARBON FIBERS
Carbon fibers are commercially available with
a variety of tensile modulus values ranging
from
207 Gpa(30x10^6 psi) on the low side to 1035
Gpa (150x1066 psi).
In general, the low-modulus fibers have the
lower density, lower cost, higher tensile and
the
compressive strengths .

 Carbon is very light element with the

density of 2.268 g/ cc.
Generally among crystalline forms of
Carbon graphite structure is used as
composites.
In the carbon, the atoms are
arranged in the form of hexagonal
layers.

CARBON FIBERS

2003 Brooks/Cole, a division of Thomson Learning, Inc. Thomson Learning is a trademark used herein under license.

APPLICATIONS:
High temperature applications like
space and air crafts.
Electrical and thermal conducting
applications.
Aerospace and sporting good
Industries.

ARAMIDE FIBERS
Aramide fibers are produced from the
chemical
called Aromatic and Polyamide and so it
called
as the Aramide fibers.
It is a manufacture fiber in which fiber
forming
substance is a long chain synthetic
polyamide in
which at least 85% of amide linkages or

 Commercial names of Aramide fibers are as

KEVELAR and Nomex.
Out of these KEVELAR is used for the
reinforcement
in rubbers.
KEVELAR-29:
KEVELAR-29 is used for ropes,cables, coated
and architeched fabrics.
KEVELAR-49 :
It is mainly used for reinforcement of the Epoxy
polyesters and other resins for use in the
Aerospace machine , Automative and Sports
industry.

ADVANTAGES
High strength and stiffness in tension
Very good high temperatures

DISADVANTAGES
Poor properties in compression.
Like other polymers aramide fibers are sensitive
to U-V rays.
When expose to U-V rays it changes from yellow
to brown and subsequently lose the mechanical
Properties.

BORON FIBER
Boron is coated on a substance which is called
as substrate usually made of tungsten.
Boron is deposited on tungsten and the
process
is continued until the desired thickness of fiber
obtained.
Properties of the boron fibers generally
changes
with the diameter of the tungsten.

PROPERTIES
Density of boron is 2.34 g/cc.
Boron fiber with tungsten core has a
density
of 2.6 g/cc for a fiber 100um.
Melting point is 2040o Celsius.
Thermal expansion co-efficient of
8.3x10^-6
up to 315 degree Celsius.

CERAMIC FIBERS
The ceramic fibers for notable higher
temperature
applications are:
1) Silicon Carbide
2) Aluminum oxide

SILICON CARBIDE FIBER

Silicon carbide can be created over few
metals and their room temperature, tensile
strength and tensile module are like those of
boron and tungsten.
Elevated temperature properties are good
They show only 35% loss of strength.
Silicon carbide coated on tungsten or Silicon
carbide coated on carbon , both have very
high
Stress at 1100 o C and 1300 o C

ALUMINA FIBERS
Alumina fibers are commonly employed in
metal matrices.
Magnesium and Aluminum matrices use
Aluminum fibers reinforced composites as they
do not damage the fiber even in the liquid
state.
It offers good compressive strength rather
than tensile strength.
It has high melting point of about 2000o C.

LAMINAR COMPOSITES

LAMINAR COMPOSITES
Laminar composites involves two or more Layers
of the same or the different materials.
The layers can be arranged in different directions
to give the strength where needed.
Like all composites laminar composites aim at
combining the constituents to produce properties
neither constituents alone would have.

 In laminar composites there are two

important
terms they are:
1) Face
2) Base.
FACE:
The face in laminar composites are outer
metal which is similar to that of the matrix
in the
Composites.
BASE:
The inner metal of the laminar composites
are called as base.

LAMINATED STRUCTURE

LAMINA
LAMINA:
A lamina is a flat (or some times
curved)arrangement of unidirectional or
woven fibers in a suspended in a matrix
material.
The thickness of lamina depends upon the
material from which it made.
For the purpose of analysis, a lamina is
typically modeled as having one layer of
fibers through the thickness.

STRUCTURE OF LAMINA

LAMINATE
LAMINATE:
A laminate is a stacking of lamina,
where oriented in a specific manner to
achieve the desired result .
Individual lamina is bonded together by
a curing procedure that depends on the
material used.
The mechanical response of a laminate is
different from that of individual lamina
that forms the laminate.

The laminates properties

depends upon the
properties of each lamina, as well as order
in which
the lamina are stacked.

STRUCTURE OF A LAMINATE

TYPES OF LAMINATES
Few special type of
laminates and the
standard lamination code are as given as
follows:
1) Unidirectional laminate
2) Angle-ply laminate
3) Cross-ply laminate
4) Systematic laminate

UNIDIRECTIONAL LAMINATE
UNIDIRECTIONAL LAMINATE:
In a unidirectional laminate, the fiber
orientation angles are the same in all
laminas.
For examples, in a unidirectional laminate
the orientation in a lamina is 0o then the
orientation in all laminates are 0o.

UNIDIRECTIONAL LAMINATE

ANGLE PLY LAMINATE

In an angle-ply laminate, if the orientation
of a
lamina is 0 then the orientation of second
laminate is
-0.
In other words the alternate layers
orientation
of the angle-ply laminate is opposite in the
sign.

ANGLE-PLY LAMINATE

CROSS-PLY LAMINATE
In cross-ply laminate the fiber orientation
angles in alternate layers are 0o and 90o.
The orientation of each laminate in the
cross ply laminate described as follows:
1) 0o
2) 90o
3) 0o
4) 90o

CROSS-PLY LAMINATE

SYMMETRIC LAMINATE
In a symmetric laminate, the plyorientation
is symmetric about the centerline of the
laminate;
that is , for each ply above the mid plane
, there is
an identical ply at an equal distance
below the mid
plane.

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