Materials Science and

Engineering

ME 112 – MSE
Module 11
Composite

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Materials Science and
Engineering Modules/chapters
Introduction
Atomic Structure and Interatomic Bonding
The Structure of Crystalline Solids
Imperfections in Solids
Diffusion
Mechanical Properties of Metals
Failure
Phase Diagrams
Phase Transformations: Development of Microstructure
Applications and Processing of Metals and Alloys
Ceramics
Polymers
Composites
Biomaterials/Electronic Materials
Properties of Materials (Electric, Thermal, Magnetic and Optical)
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Materials Science and
Engineering Introduction
➢ A composite material is a material which is produced
from two or more constituent materials.

➢ Materials that have specific and unusual properties are

needed for a host of high technology applications such
as those found in the aerospace, underwater,
bioengineering, and transportation industries.

➢ A composite is considered to be any multiphase

material that exhibits a significant proportion of the
properties of both constituent phases such that a
better combination of properties is realized. According https://www.appropedia.org/Com
posites_in_the_Aircraft_Industry
to this principle of combined action, better property
combinations are fashioned by the judicious
combination of two or more distinct materials.

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Materials Science and Application
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Materials Science and
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➢ A composite, in the present context, is a multiphase material that is artificially made, as

opposed to one that occurs or forms naturally.
➢ The constituent phases must be chemically dissimilar and separated by a distinct
interface
➢ Many composite materials are composed of just two phases; one is termed the matrix,
which is continuous and surrounds the other phase, often called the dispersed phase.
➢ The properties of composites are a function of the properties of the constituent phases,
their relative amounts, and the geometry of the dispersed phase. Dispersed phase
geometry in this context means the shape of the particles and the particle size,
distribution, and orientation

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Materials Science and
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Schematic representations
of the various geometrical
and spatial characteristics of
particles of the dispersed
phase that may influence the
properties of composites: (a)
concentration, (b) size, (c)
shape, (d) distribution, and
(e) orientation

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Materials Science and
Engineering Classification

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Materials Science and
Engineering Particle reinforced composite
➢ Large-particle and dispersion-strengthened composites are the two
subclassifications of particle-reinforced composites.

➢ The distinction between these is based on the reinforcement or strengthening

mechanism. The term large is used to indicate that particle–matrix interactions
cannot be treated on the atomic or molecular level;rather, continuum mechanics
is used.

➢ For dispersion-strengthened composites, particles are normally much smaller,

with diameters between 0.01 and 0.1 μm (10 and 100 nm). Particle–matrix
interactions that lead to strengthening occur on the atomic or molecular level.
The mechanism of strengthening is similar to that for precipitation hardening

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Materials Science and
Engineering Large Particle composite
Particles can have quite a variety of geometries, but they
should be of approximately the same dimension in all
directions (equiaxed). For effective reinforcement, the
particles should be small and evenly distributed
throughout the matrix.

the volume fraction of the two phases influences the

behavior; mechanical properties are enhanced with
increasing particulate content.

These rule-of-mixtures equations predict that the elastic

modulus should fall between an upper bound represented
by

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Materials Science and
Engineering Examples
Large-particle composites are used with all three material types (metals, polymers, and
ceramics). The cermets are examples of ceramic–metal composites. The most common
cermet is cemented carbide, which is composed of extremely hard particles of a refractory
carbide ceramic such as tungsten carbide (WC) or titanium carbide (TiC) embedded in a
matrix of a metal such as cobalt or nickel.

Carbon black consists of very small and essentially spherical particles of carbon,
produced by the combustion of natural gas or oil in an atmosphere that has only a limited
air supply. When added to vulcanized rubber, this extremely inexpensive material
enhances tensile strength, toughness, and tear and abrasion resistance.

Concrete is a common large-particle composite in which both matrix and dispersed

phases are ceramic materials

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Materials Science and
Engineering Dispersion strengthened composite
➢ Metals and metal alloys may be strengthened and hardened by the uniform dispersion
of several volume percent of fine particles of a very hard and inert material. The
dispersed phase may be metallic or nonmetallic; oxide materials are often used. Again,
the strengthening mechanism involves interactions between the particles and
dislocations within the matrix, as with precipitation hardening.

➢ The high-temperature strength of nickel alloys may be enhanced significantly by the

addition of about 3 vol% thoria (ThO2) as finely dispersed particles; this material is
known as thoria-dispersed (or TD) nickel.

➢ The same effect is produced in the aluminum– aluminum oxide system. A very thin and
adherent alumina coating is caused to form on the surface of extremely small (0.1 to 0.2
μm thick) flakes of aluminum, which are dispersed within an aluminum metal matrix; this
material is termed sintered aluminum powder (SAP

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Materials Science and
Engineering Fiber reinforced composite
➢ The most important composites are those in which the
dispersed phase is in the form of a fiber.

➢ Design goals of fiber-reinforced composites often include

high strength and/or stiffness on a weight basis.
➢
➢ These characteristics are expressed in terms of specific
strength and specific modulus parameters, which
correspond, respectively, to the ratios of tensile strength to
specific gravity and modulus of elasticity to specific gravity.

➢ Fiber-reinforced composites with exceptionally high specific

strengths and moduli have been produced that use low-
density fiber and matrix materials

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Materials Science and
Engineering Influence of fiber length
The mechanical characteristics of a fiber-reinforced composite depend not only on the
properties of the fiber, but also on the degree to which an applied load is transmitted to the
fibers by the matrix phase.

Some critical fiber length is necessary for effective strengthening and stiffening of the
composite material. This critical length lc is dependent on the fiber diameter d and its ultimate
(or tensile) strength 𝜎*f and on the fiber–matrix bond strength (or the shear yield strength of the
matrix, whichever is smaller) 𝜏c according to

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Stress–position profiles
when the fiber length l
(a) is equal to the critical
length lc,
(b) is greater than the
critical length, and
(c) is less than the critical
length for a fiber-
reinforced composite
that is subjected to a
tensile stress equal to
the fiber tensile
strength 𝜎*f

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Influence of fiber orientation and concentration

With respect to orientation, two extremes
are possible:
(1) a parallel alignment of the longitudinal
axis of the fibers in a single direction, and
(2) a totally random alignment.

Continuous fibers are normally aligned

whereas discontinuous fibers may be
aligned, and randomly oriented or partially
oriented.

Better overall composite properties are

realized when the fiber distribution is uniform
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Materials Science and
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Continuous and Aligned Fiber Composites Tensile
Stress–Strain Behavior—Longitudinal Loading

(a) Schematic stress–strain curves for brittle

fiber and ductile matrix materials. Fracture
stresses and strains for both materials are
noted.
(b) Schematic stress–strain curve for an
aligned fiber–reinforced composite that is
exposed to a uniaxial stress applied in the
direction of alignment; curves for the fiber
and matrix materials shown in part (a) are
also superimposed

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Materials Science and
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Elastic behavior- longitudinal loading
Under isostrain conditions, the total load sustained by the composite Fc is equal to the sum of the loads
carried by the matrix phase Fm and the fiber phase Ff

𝐹𝑐 = 𝐹𝑚 + 𝐹𝑓

From the definition of stress, F = 𝜎A; thus expressions for Fc, Fm, and Ff in terms of their respective
stresses (𝜎c, 𝜎m, and 𝜎f) and cross-sectional areas (Ac, Am, and Af) are possible.

𝜎𝑐 𝐴𝑐 = 𝜎𝑚 𝐴𝑚 + 𝜎𝑓 𝐴𝑓

Dividing through by the total cross-section area of composite Ac

𝐴𝑚 𝐴𝑓
𝜎𝑐 = 𝜎𝑚 + 𝜎𝑓
𝐴𝑐 𝐴𝑐

where Am/Ac and Af/Ac are the area fractions of the matrix and fiber phases, respectively. If the composite,
matrix, and fiber phase lengths are all equal, Am/Ac is equivalent to the volume fraction of the matrix, Vm,
and likewise for the fibers, Vf = Af/Ac . NITK, Surathkal
Materials Science and
Engineering 𝜎𝑐 = 𝜎𝑚 𝑉𝑚 + 𝜎𝑓 𝑉𝑓

The previous assumption of an isostrain state means that

𝜀𝑐 = 𝜀𝑚 = 𝜀𝑓
when each term in above equation is divided by its respective strain
𝜎𝑐 𝜎𝑚 𝜎𝑓
= 𝑉𝑚 + 𝑉𝑓
𝜀𝑐 𝜀𝑚 𝜀𝑓

Furthermore, if composite, matrix, and fiber deformations are all elastic, then 𝜎c∕𝜀c = Ec, 𝜎m∕𝜀m = Em,
and 𝜎f∕𝜀f = Ef, the Es being the moduli of elasticity for the respective phases.

because the composite consists of only matrix and fiber

phases; that is, Vm + Vf = 1

for longitudinal loading, that the ratio of the load carried by the fibers to that carried by the matrix is

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Materials Science and
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Materials Science and
Engineering Elastic Behavior—Transverse Loading

A continuous and oriented fiber composite may be loaded in the transverse direction; that is, the load
is applied at a 90° angle to the direction of fiber alignment as shown in Figure. For this situation the
stress 𝜎 to which the composite and both phases are exposed is the same, or
𝜎𝑐 = 𝜎𝑚 = 𝜎𝑓 = 𝜎

This is termed an isostress state. The strain or deformation of the entire composite 𝜀c is

𝜀𝑐 = 𝜀𝑚 𝑉𝑚 + 𝜀𝑓 𝑉𝑓

𝜎 𝜎 𝜎 1 1 1
= 𝑉𝑚 + 𝑉𝑓 = 𝑉𝑚 + 𝑉𝑓
𝐸𝑐𝑡 𝐸𝑚 𝐸𝑓 𝐸𝑐𝑡 𝐸𝑚 𝐸𝑓

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Materials Science and
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 Materials Science and
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Longitudinal Tensile Strength

The mode that operates for a specific composite depends on fiber and
matrix properties and the nature and strength of the fiber–matrix
interfacial bond.

expression for the longitudinal strength of the composite, 𝜎cl*:

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Thank You

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