Composite Materials Flashcards
What are composite materials
Materials with enhanced properties for a specific purpose
Description / use / pros / cons
Concrete
Mixture of coarse aggregate (gravel between 14 and 30cm) sand cement and water
Mainly used for construction
P-
Excellent compressive strength
Good heat and sound insulator.
Durable and fire resistant
C-
Can be damaged by corrosion of reinforcement bars, fire or radiant heat and freezing trapped water
Description / use / pros / cons
Plywood
Manufactured board of wood veneers glued together
Has an odd number of layers (at least 3) to balance the stress of the central core and make it stable in all directions
Grain runs at 90° to the sheets below increasing its strength
Sheds, cladding, flooring, furniture
P-
High impact resistance
High strength to weight ratio
Economical usage of wood as less waste
C-
Will come apart if they layers become wet
Description / use / pros / cons
Fibre / carbon glass
Plastic can be reinforced with fine glass or strong carbon fibres
Loose or woven fibres can form a flexible fabric
Glass reinforced plastic - easily formed into shapes (items like car bodies baths / showers)
Carbon fibre reinforced plastic - more expensive but stronger (body armour / golf clubs)
P-
Lightweight with an excellent strength to weight ratio
Can be formed into most 3D shapes
Durable / low maintenance
High resistance to uv light and most chemicals
C-
Breathing in the fibres can cause respiratory problems
Description / use / pros / cons
Reinforced polymers
Phenolic resins are combined with cotton fabrics to make inflammable laminated pieces of plastic
No metallic engineering components (gears)
Substitute for exterior timber as they are waterproof + same strength
P-
Good insulator of heat and electricity
Good dimension stability (doesn’t change shape easily)
Strong with good wear and resistance
C-
Can be expensive
Description / use / pros / cons
Robotic materials
Materials that can react to their surroundings automatously
Vehicles or uniforms that change colour to adapt to their surroundings
Prosthetics with a sense of touch
P
Can react quickly without needing a computer
Can react appropriately by themselves
C-
Expensive and complex
