composites

composites

1. what is a composite material?

   • when two or more materials are combined by bonding,a compostie material is formed
   • the resulting material has improved mechanical,functional and aesthetic properties and, with most composites, it will have an excellent strength-to-weight ratio

2. carbon fibre

   • it is a material consisting of extremely thin fibres of carbon
   • several thousand carbon fibres are twisted together to form one yard, which is woven into a fabric
   • carbon fibre has many different weave patterns
   • when combined with polymer resin, it can be moulded to form a composite material called carbon fibre reinforced plastic
   • the complex nature of carbon fibre makes it vary hard to break
   • carbon fibre are incredibly strong and so are ideal for high-performance structural uses such as aircraft frames, quality sport equipment and formula 1 cars manufacture
   • carbon composites have excellent mechanical properties where high strength and low weight are needed, and will easily outperform any metal alternative e.g. it has more than four time the tensile strenght of the best steel alloy , at just a quarter of the weight
   • the main disadvantages are that is has a high cost and it have been used for mass-produced products.

3. medium density fibreboard

   • one of most commonly used composite materials is medium density fibreboard (MDF).
   • MDF is manily made up of wood waste (or soft wood) in the form of wood chip
     • this pulp is then mixed with a synthetic resin adhesive to bond the fibres and produce a uniform structure. it is then heat-pressed to form a fine textured surface. After pressing, the MDF is cooled, trimmed and sanded.
   • which are subject to heat and pressure to soften the fibres and produce a fine,fluffy and lightweight pulp.