Composite Reinforcements for Optimum Performance

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Fibres for composite reinforcement: properties and microstructures

A.R. Bunsell,     Mines ParisTech, France

Abstract:

There are many types of fibres that can be used as reinforcements. Their remarkable properties are exploited in many composite materials and structures, enabling applications which otherwise would be almost impossible. Their long fine forms allow original shapes to be made and their often extraordinary mechanical properties push back the limits of structural materials. Some fibres are familiar, as they are used in textiles, but fibres also find technical applications, such as in reinforcing tyres. Other fibres combine great stiffness and strength with light weight which traditional structural materials cannot rival. These ...