Publisher's Synopsis
This volume deals with properties and manufacturing processes of composites with polymeric matrices. Comprehensive treatment is given to properties of thermosetting resins, thermoplastics and elastomers, and composite systems based on these. Individual chapters are devoted to glass fiber reinforced plastics, carbon fibre reinforced plastics, aramid fiber reinforced plastics, high-density polyethylene composites, hybrids and sandwiches, and particulate and short-fiber composites.;The mechanisms of deformation and failure that are characteristic of these composite systems are then treated in separate chapters on viscoelasticity and aging, moisture uptake, matrix cracking, delamination, and fatigue. Since the properties of composites are closely related to microstructure, an extensive treatment of microstructural characterization is given. Depending on the application and the polymeric matrix, thermoset or thermoplastic, a wide range of manufacturing processes exist. Following an overview of the manufacturing processes, the impregnation and consolidation processes as well as the preparation of semifinished products are treated. Individual chapters of this book are devoted to prepregging and autoclaving, and open mold, compression molding, liquid impregnation, and continuous molding techniques. The practical aspects of joining, machining, and repair of composites are then treated. Finally, a variety of topics of importance to the industrial application of composites such as the selection of manufacturing routes and life cycle considerations are discussed.
