Advances in Composite Materials

Advances in Composite Materials is a collection of papers that discusses fiber reinforced composite materials pertaining to their mechanical and failure properties. One paper explains the design and fabrication of a GrFRP concept car by the Ford Motor Company which uses as much as possible graphite fiber in the body, chassis, and powertrain. Another paper discusses the sorption behavior of glass-fiber reinforced composites, as well as the influence of diffusing media on the deformation and failure behaviors. One paper examines the physical, elastic, viscoelastic, and inelastic properties of multiphase short fiber composite materials using the fiber aspect ratio, fiber volume fraction, and properties of the constituent phases as several variables. Another paper describes a procedure to measure the changes in stiffness properties of a unidirectional fibrous composite (such as glass fiber reinforced polyester) caused by fatigue damage. One application of carbon fiber reinforced thermoplastics is in a sleeve bush molded from nylon 66 containing 30 percent fiber reinforcement with PTFE and silicone oil. The material has low frictional, high wear performance characteristics. The Penny and Giles Potentiometers Ltd. use this component on a joystick for gun directional control. The collection can prove useful for design engineers, materials engineers, scientists involved with composite materials, and industrial researchers in the fields of materials science.