Principles of the Manufacturing of Composite Materials

Based on 15 years of composites manufacturing instruction, this is the first text to offer both a practical and analytic approach to composite manufacturing processes. It ties together key tools for analyzing the mechanics of composites with the processes whereby composite products are fabricated, whether by hand lay-up or through automated processes. The book outlines the principles of chemistry, physics, materials science and engineering and shows how these are connected to the design and production of a variety of composites, primarily polymeric. It thus provides analytic, quantitative tools to answer the questions of why certain materials are linked with specific processes, and why products are manufactured by one process rather than another. All phases of matrix material formation are explained, as are practical design details for fabrics, autoclaving, filament winding, pultrusion, liquid composite molding, hand techniques, joints and joint bonding, and more. A special section is devoted to nanocomposites. Content: Front Matter • Preface • Table of Contents •Part I. Fundamentals of Constituents for Composites Manufacturing 1. Introduction 2. Matrix Materials 3. Reinforcements - Fibers •Part II. Techniques for Composites Manufacturing 4. Hand Laminating (or Wet Lay-up) and the Autoclave Processing of Composites 5. Filament Winding and Fiber Placement 6. Pultrusion 7. Liquid Composite Molding 8. Long Fiber Thermoplastic Matrix Composites Index • About the Author