Composite Materials: Some Recent Developments

Summary

A state-of-the-art review of the current situation in composite materials is presented. The review is based on papers presented at the Fourth International Conference on Composite Materials, Tokyo, October 1982, and on the author’s discussions with colleagues and composite manufacturers. Special emphasis is given to the Japanese work in this field.

Among the so-called advanced fibers, carbon fiber today represents a fairly standard and acceptable engineering material, and Japanese manufacturers dominate the fiber market worldwide. Kevlar fiber continues to make further inroads in aircraft and other industries while boron fiber continues to be a very expensive fiber. Among the ceramic fibers, continuous Al₂O₃ and SiC fibers appear to be very promising for metal matrix reinforcement. This is especially so now in view of the revolutionary processes (from organometallic compounds by heat treatment) for the manufacture of these continuous fibers developed in Japan.

Among the innovations in design made possible by composite materials are the so-called “mission-adaptive-wing” and “forward-swept-wing.” The use of composites as structural materials in aircraft and sporting goods industries is increasing while inroads are being made in the medical, electrical and electronic, automotive, and civil engineering fields. However, with increasing acceptance of composites as engineering materials, there is an increasing awareness of the need to understand their performance under adverse conditions, mainly moisture and temperature.