Structural Composite Materials

From providing shelter for early civilisations to paving the way for future developments, composites have been particularly important to the humanity throughout the history. Most notably, composites are advantageous due to their resistance to corrosion, design versatility, longevity, lightweight, and strength. Products made from composites are not limited to a particular field but finds their application spanning across the construction sector, sports, medicine, space applications and many more. It seems unlikely that projects like rocket ships would have been implemented without the use of composite materials. New materials, applications, and methods make this sector fascinating to work in. Using hybrid virgin and recycled fibres speeds up and automates production. Composite materials are rising at 5% annually worldwide. Carbon fibre demand is expanding at around 12% per year. Nowadays, many composites are manufactured for purposes other than just improving the materials’ mechanical qualities, such as strength. Composites are also engineered to be excellent heat conductors or insulators, and/or to have magnetic characteristics; these features are highly precise and specialised, but they are also incredibly significant and valuable. Composites find their use even in electrical and electronic devices, such as transistors, photovoltaic cells, various sensors and detectors, semiconductor diodes, and lasers, as well as in the production of anti-corrosive and anti-static surface coatings. Other applications of these composites include lasers and sensors. This chapter is a collection of topics such as importance and history of composites, types and manufacturing process materials used for composite construction, applications and case studies.

Composite materials have been used extensively in today’s life owing to its many advantages and applications. Mechanical properties related to composites have been improved by choosing right reinforcement and matrix combination. Volume and weight are two important parameters considered while choosing composites for specific applications. Alongside if they are to be used for structural applications, their mechanical properties also play a key role for consideration of composites. Composite materials are often used in automotive, construction and aerospace industries. Nowadays, polymers have been used extensively in preparing such composites. Some of the applications would include their use in aircraft components, nuclear reactors and civil structures. The present paper deals with such structural applications of composites.

Due to their minimum weight relative to materials like steel, aluminium, and synthetic fibre based polymer, natural fibres are encouraged to be used in the automotive industry due to environmental concerns. A green composite is created for a variety of uses, including sports equipment, automobiles, and ships, among others. Due to their wide availability, eco-friendliness, and affordability, other natural fibres including jute, banana, flax, hemp, and sisal also have exceptional and satisfying qualities. Industrial items like sisal and jute fibres can use both structural and non-structural construction depending on the matrix. This work will help us to find out the mechanical properties of sandwiched composites as per ASTM standards and results obtained are discussed.

The use of composite materials now a days designs new paradigm for all kinds of applications specially honours in 3 categories of transport systems such as roads, navy and flight vehicles which accommodates its integral usage in majority of the components that are built -in. Recent investigations also highlight the role of these light weight structures in energy harvesting and storage systems. This book chapter discuss about the various wide spread applications of all the core sectors of engineering which indulge the rigid structures which majorly corelates the structural and functional requirements. The present section also high light the case study on several applications including Aerospace and automotive and marine structures which depicts the resonance of utilizing different constituents which plays key role in performing the specific functions. The property derived application areas clearly gives the research spotlight on developing novel materials which intern found to be a better alternative for existing applications which demands for the availability of resources and process parameters. Hence this section also highlights the utilization of locally available resources as fillers to modify the matrix system and more likely to use for particular applications for which the specific properties are improved.

One of the key engineering materials invented and explored by researchers in recent times is Composite materials because of their wide range of applications starting from transportation to aerospace, leisure industries and electronic industries. The development of various classes of composite materials requires derivations and evolution of several processing techniques to achieve successful incorporation and desired distribution of reinforcements throughout the matrix. In this chapter, an overview of the processing of various classes of composites viz. “Metal Matrix Composites” (MMCs), “Ceramic Matrix Composite” (CMCs), and “Polymer Matrix Composites” (PMCs) are presented along with recent trends in processing.

The present work aims to develop Graphite Nano Particles (GNP’s) based Poly Vinyl Alcohol (PVA) nano composites. Cold water soluble PVA is used in the present study which is blended fractionally with synthesized graphite nanoparticles in the ratio of 0.25, 05, 0.75 and 1% by weight by open mold method followed by autoclave curing to ensure proper curing of prepared samples. The synthesized graphite nanoparticles were subjected to UV–vis spectroscopy analysis, where in the highest peak was observed at 255 nm. Major contribution of this present investigation deals with the computational studies of composition elements to study various factors such as nuclear structure using the Density Functional theory (DFT). Stability analysis of each molecule is performed separately using the UB3LYP calculation method with the help of 6-31G basis set function. Addition to this Nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) study and vibration analysis were performed using GAUSSIAN 9, Gauge-Independent Atomic Orbital (GIAO) method was used for NMR determination.

Composite structures meant for structural uniqueness and property enhancing members in the broad areas covering the areas of aerospace and automobile applications concerning the aspects relates to weight. Meantime manufacturing the light weight structures owing to their specific features measures the type of methods followed is another important factor. The present report discusses about the various manufacturing methods involved in producing the prominent category of composites which aims to establish the research aspect as well as commercial aspects. One such combination that composite manufacturers are ever look in to is fibre reinforced and particle reinforced composites. The present work also emphasizes the comparison of various manufacturing methods adopted with various benefits, limitations for the both manufacturing methods.

Composite materials, which have greater strength, less weight, and better attributes, are progressively replacing traditional materials in use. The globe is investigating the use of particle and fibre reinforced composites in all applications, including toys, instrumentation, medicine, the building sector, air, land, and sea transportation. Particle and fibre reinforced composites can be manufactured in a heterogeneity of methods depending on the application and type of reinforcement utilized. As the trade improves in need for light-weight materials with higher strength for particular purposes, composites reinforced with different fibres of natural or synthetic materials are finding more importance. To identify the particle and fiber reinforced composite material for important applications, an outline of a large assortment of fibres, its classification, their attributes, functionality and different fibre composite manufacturing procedures is offered. Polymer fiber reinforced composites exhibit superior and superior qualities such as great damping property, durability, impact, stiffness, flexural strength, and resistance to corrosion and wear. The production of various particle and fibre reinforced composites components using diverse manufacturing procedures has been extensively covered in this chapter. The utilitarian attributes of different fibres that are promptly accessible all over the world, and the fabricating methods to manufacture the composite materials, should be concerted on to decide the improved attribute of the material for the expected application.

Metal Matrix Composites (MMCs) have rapidly gained prominence for prospective deployments in the aerospace and automotive sectors owing to its greater strength-to-weight ratio and greater temperature tolerance. MMCs are formed by incorporating a reinforcing element into a metal matrix. Due to its exceptional strength, stiffness, wear resistance, thermal stability, and a variety of other characteristics that vary depending on the type and quantity of reinforcements used, aluminium-based metal matrix composites are considered as one of the best engineering structural elements. The chapter examines the mechanical properties of Aluminium Metal Matrix Composites as well as the progress accomplished in this area. Opportunities and perspectives are also provided in the chapter.

The knowledge of mechanical properties is essential for designing the mechanical and structural components used in all engineering applications. As lighter metallic structural material, aluminium and magnesium alloys play a vital role in aerospace, automotive and defence sectors because of their low density, higher strength and stiffness combined with high wear resistance. Desired specific properties of these alloys can be enhanced or altered, by using reinforcements while making composite materials, based on the applications. Metal matrix composites are well recognized for their combination of light weight and superior mechanical behaviour. The hardness and tensile properties are essentially required to control the dry sliding wear characteristics of the materials. Many researchers have investigated the hardness behaviour of particulate metal matrix composites (PMMCs) and reported that presence of particulate reinforcements have led to a considerable increase in hardness of a matrix material. The tensile properties, except the ductility, show improved values by reinforcing light weight structural metals with particles. Further, researchers have reported better mechanical properties in PMMCs fabricated by generating the reinforcing particles in the matrix material during processing, over conventional or ex-situ technique, in which reinforcement particles are gradually poured from outside to the matrix material during processing.

Glass Fibre Metal Mesh Polymer Composites (GFMMPC) are one of the alternative for engineering materials because their elevated mechanical properties. This work focuses on tensile test with open hole which is based on optimization of parameters. For the drilling experiment, Taguchi L8 two level orthogonal array a strategy was used to examine each parameter’s influence and systematically evaluate the experimental parameters. Spindle speed, feed rate, and condition (dry and wet) with two levels are some of the drilling parameters that were chosen. Eight drilling tests were carried out, each in a different order. After the drilling trials are finished, hole properties are observed using Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM) this was done to assess the degree to which drilled holes are delaminated. The Corel draw was used for measuring the delamination factor. Also residual tensile properties measured using tensile test. Based on responses the optimized parameters are higher for high spindle speed (4000 rpm) and low feed rate (50 mm/min). Morphological study of the fractured samples are analysed using SEM.

Aluminium Alloys AA5083 dispersed with varying fractions of reinforcement was fabricated through the stir casting method. In varying weight percentage combinations, zinc oxide (ZnO) and coconut shell ash (CSA) particles were combined to create hybrid reinforcement particles. Using a pin-on-disc tribometer, the wear characteristics of the developed AA5083 hybrid composites were estimated. The volumetric proportion of hybrid reinforcement particles CSA (3, 6, 9 and 3 ZnO wt%), load (20, 30, 40 N), sliding velocity (2, 3, and 4 m/s), Cumulative Time (4.16, 5.55, and 8.33 min), and sliding distance are some of the experimental parameters (1000 m). Wear analysis revealed effective bonding and homogeneous dispersion of hybrid reinforcement particles onto the AA5083. Analysis of Specific Wear Rate (SWR) results showed that Specific Wear Rate rose with load, sliding velocity, and sliding duration while decreasing with hybrid particle dispersion. This research proposes the use of several intelligent classification techniques using Machine Learning (ML) and Artificial Neural Network (ANN) to predict the wear rate of an AA 5083 hybrid composite. For estimating wear quantities, the algorithms Random Forest (RF), Neural Network (NN), and k-nearest neighbours (kNN) are utilized. Six inputs are utilized to train and evaluate the Machine Learning (ML) algorithms: the Applied Load (N), Sliding Velocity, Sliding Speed, Cumulative Time, Percentage of Reinforcements, and Sliding Distance. The output is the Specific Wear Rate (SWR). The RF, NN, and KNN algorithms all produced success rates of correlation between experimental to anticipated of 0.90, 0.84, and 0.90, respectively. The same model data was utilised to train and evaluate Artificial Neural Networks (ANN), with the Multilayer Perceptron (MLP) network having the lowest Mean Square Error (MSE) to improve machine learning prediction accuracy. Maximum estimate error range of 0.1%, training and cross-validation of 0.00000496 and 0.0261, respectively, with linear correlation coefficient in testing of 0.9999 or 99.9% better prediction accuracy rate. The AA 5083 composites were designed and implemented using this machine learning and artificial neural network model for forecasting specific wear rate.

Polymers and their composites are emerging as viable alternative materials to metal and alloy-based ones in many general purpose and special purpose engineering applications. Further, the recycled engineering plastics like post-consumer Poly(Ethylene Terephthalate) (r-PET) can be viewed as an economical alternate feed systems for the production of parts which would have been otherwise made from non-recycled materials. In the current work, the tribological performance of Fly Ash Cenosphere (FAC) filled rPET composite is experimentally investigated to understand the influence of percentage of FAC and the Silane treatment of FAC (TFAC) using pin-on-disc apparatus. Also, wear behavior of TFAC filled rLDPE blended rPET (M-rPET/TFAC) composite is studied. Specific wear rate (SWR) of rPET/TFAC was found to be lower compared to rPET/FAC. Further, M-rPET/TFAC composite has exhibited better wear resistance yielding minimum SWR compared to other composite samples studied. Thus, it can be concluded that rLDPE blended rPET/ Silane coated FAC (M-rPET/TFAC) composite possess better tribological characteristic and reveal the fact that modification of both matrix and reinforcement enhances the wear resistance of rPET composite.

Aluminum (Al) reinforced with 0, 0.5, and 1.0 wt% MWCNT metal matrix nano-composites were fabricated via powder metallurgy (PM) route. Chemical stability between the matrix (Al) and reinforcement (MWCNT) was analyzed using X-ray diffractometry. Wear experimentations were investigated using cylindrical test pieces on a rotating disk wear apparatus. Compositions, applied loads, disk rotation speeds, and traversing distances were optimized using Taguchi’s L9 orthogonal array. The 0.5 wt% MWCNT reinforced composite showed higher resistance to wear. The consequences of variables on rate of wear are presented. SEM micrographs of the investigated cracked surface were observed to judge the mechanism of fracture and MWCNTs effects.

Ceramic matrix composites (CMC’s) are presently an undeniably well-known selection of materials castoff to produce basic parts for an assortment of designing ventures. CMC’s are presently a rising material decision for a few high worth parts, that has as of late started the need of understanding the impact of few machining methods. Because of the intricate idea of CMC’s—for example heterogeneous construction, machining become very testing as the cycle can relent higher mechanical and thermal loads. The heterogeneous design of CMC’s prompts us to think about the complex machining, that may eventually lead to extraordinary surface deformities. An overview pertaining to exploration carried out in the traditional and non-traditional machining of CMC’s on basically assessing what various machining strategies mean for the machined surfaces is thoroughly discussed. Because of the upgraded properties, these materials have higher potential for use in novel and high-performance applications. This is accomplished by investigating the various material portrayal methods as of now, used to notice and measure the mechanical and subsurface defects.

Numerous sectors benefit from the usage of fiber-reinforced composite materials for structural purposes. Delamination is regarded as the main issue in the production of the components. In the production process, drilling is frequently utilized in materials have an impact on chip deformation and drilling behavior. By carefully choosing the tool, method, and operating circumstances, both conventional and unconventional drilling procedures are capable of producing small holes for composite materials. This article reviews the approach to drilling composite material without delamination. The main scenes are shown, along with the analytical approach’s elements and the application of unique drill bits in practice. The current review is to maximize the process variables, particularly the drilling process’s cutting parameters and milling of various types of polymers reinforced with different fibres. The acquired experimental data were examined using analysis of variance (ANOVA).

Composites made of fiber-reinforced resin are being used more and more in the aerospace and auto industries. However, owing to the complex physical and chemical characteristics of the constituent materials moulding techniques, making composites presents highly difficult hurdles. As a result, while assessing the quality of composites, knowledge on how to spot production-related issues is crucial. The matrix of composites’ residual stress development, Vacuum flaws and resin-rich flaws are first summarised. This chapter describes many resin-related processes, such as the curing of heat responsive resins. Resin penetration during hot pressing, RTM and 3D printing, and resin-rich flaws during the moulding process. Second, the method by which fibre reinforcement flaws such fibre waviness and wrinkle occur in composites is introduced, and the impact of such flaws on the creation of the composite structure is underlined. Supporting structure modulus, strength, and stability may be significantly reduced by fibre misalignment defects, according to several research reports. Finally, difficulties brought on by interfacial defects, like layer peel ups and unbinding are elaborated at the interface between reinforcements and matrix. By combining the different difficult aspects that cause manufacturing flaws in laminated and additively made structures so that the inculcated information may provide a prognosis for composite manufacturing.