3
1
alcohol, polystyrene, phenolic, and polyester) were developed.
These new synthetic polymers outperformed natural resins.
Thereafter, it was the turn of newer reinforcing materials. The first
glass fibre was developed in 1935 (from Owens Corning). Fibre
glass, when combined with a polymer, created an incredibly strong
structure that was also lightweight. The first composite boat was
made by Ray Greene of Owens Corning in 1937, but the work did
not progress further due to the brittle nature of the matrix used. In
1939, construction of a passenger boat of plastic materials was
reported from Russia, and similarly, the fuselage and wings of an
aircraft were reported from the United States. In 1946, the first car,
the Stout Scarab, having a fibre glass body was built [4, 5]. This was
the beginning of the fibre-reinforced polymer (FRP) industry as we
know it today. This development was further fueled by World War
II with the first high-performance application in the form of radome
(radar + dome) made out of glass fibre-reinforced polyester resin
for fighter aircrafts of the Royal Air Force in 1940.
In India, advanced composites were first used by Dr. APJ Abdul
Kalam to make the nozzle of the satellite launch vehicle (SLV-3) in
1980. He pioneered the research in the area of advanced composites
and can be truly referred to as the ‘father of advanced composites’ in
India. Similarly, Professor KAV Pandalai from IIT Madras was the
first teacher of advanced composites in India. He started his teaching
career from the Madras Institute of Technology (MIT), and he even
taught aero structures and their analysis to Dr. Kalam in MIT [6].
A unique feature of composites is that the properties can be tailored to a specific engineering requirement using a careful selection
of matrix, the reinforcement type, and the direction of it fibres.
Therefore, a composite product is designed in such a way that the
fibres are laid in the direction of maximum stress so that its performance under load is good. Generally, a fibrous phase (reinforcement) is embedded into a continuous phase (matrix). Polymer
matrix composites (PMCs) or FRPs constitute a major category of
composite materials with a wide range of applications. Anisotropy
is the main characteristic of composites. The deformation of a composite is nonuniform/unsymmetrical on the application of a uniaxial load due to the anisotropic behaviour of composites, whereas
the deformation in isotropic materials is symmetrical on the application of a uniaxial load.
The growth of advanced composites has spurred due to availability of various choices of raw material, processing technologies,
and their adaptability to get processed into any intricate shape.
However, striking the right combination of raw materials and processing technology to obtain the desired cost-effective composite
product is governed by its processability.
1.1 Processability
Processability is the capability to transform the given input into
desired output. The input may be in terms of data, signal, material,
parameter, etc., and the output may be a document, table, actuation,
Point to Ponder…
Two of the famous quotes of
Dr. Kalam are ‘Strength respects
strength’ and ‘If you want to shine
like a sun, first, burn like a sun”.
1.1 · Processability
1
alcohol, polystyrene, phenolic, and polyester) were developed.
These new synthetic polymers outperformed natural resins.
Thereafter, it was the turn of newer reinforcing materials. The first
glass fibre was developed in 1935 (from Owens Corning). Fibre
glass, when combined with a polymer, created an incredibly strong
structure that was also lightweight. The first composite boat was
made by Ray Greene of Owens Corning in 1937, but the work did
not progress further due to the brittle nature of the matrix used. In
1939, construction of a passenger boat of plastic materials was
reported from Russia, and similarly, the fuselage and wings of an
aircraft were reported from the United States. In 1946, the first car,
the Stout Scarab, having a fibre glass body was built [4, 5]. This was
the beginning of the fibre-reinforced polymer (FRP) industry as we
know it today. This development was further fueled by World War
II with the first high-performance application in the form of radome
(radar + dome) made out of glass fibre-reinforced polyester resin
for fighter aircrafts of the Royal Air Force in 1940.
In India, advanced composites were first used by Dr. APJ Abdul
Kalam to make the nozzle of the satellite launch vehicle (SLV-3) in
1980. He pioneered the research in the area of advanced composites
and can be truly referred to as the ‘father of advanced composites’ in
India. Similarly, Professor KAV Pandalai from IIT Madras was the
first teacher of advanced composites in India. He started his teaching
career from the Madras Institute of Technology (MIT), and he even
taught aero structures and their analysis to Dr. Kalam in MIT [6].
A unique feature of composites is that the properties can be tailored to a specific engineering requirement using a careful selection
of matrix, the reinforcement type, and the direction of it fibres.
Therefore, a composite product is designed in such a way that the
fibres are laid in the direction of maximum stress so that its performance under load is good. Generally, a fibrous phase (reinforcement) is embedded into a continuous phase (matrix). Polymer
matrix composites (PMCs) or FRPs constitute a major category of
composite materials with a wide range of applications. Anisotropy
is the main characteristic of composites. The deformation of a composite is nonuniform/unsymmetrical on the application of a uniaxial load due to the anisotropic behaviour of composites, whereas
the deformation in isotropic materials is symmetrical on the application of a uniaxial load.
The growth of advanced composites has spurred due to availability of various choices of raw material, processing technologies,
and their adaptability to get processed into any intricate shape.
However, striking the right combination of raw materials and processing technology to obtain the desired cost-effective composite
product is governed by its processability.
1.1 Processability
Processability is the capability to transform the given input into
desired output. The input may be in terms of data, signal, material,
parameter, etc., and the output may be a document, table, actuation,
Point to Ponder…
Two of the famous quotes of
Dr. Kalam are ‘Strength respects
strength’ and ‘If you want to shine
like a sun, first, burn like a sun”.
1.1 · Processability