Structural Integrity and Durability of Advanced Composites

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Composite micromechanics

From carbon fibres to graphene

R.J. Young     University of Manchester, Manchester, UK

Abstract

Composite materials are being used increasingly in high-performance engineering applications. The development of the subject of composite micromechanics to understand stress transfer to a high-performance fibre in a low-modulus matrix in a composite is described. It is shown how Raman spectroscopy can now be used to measure stress and strain of individual fibres and so validate the predictions even though reinforcement was considered originally only from a theoretical viewpoint. Recent developments in the field of polymer nanocomposites are then described and it is demonstrated how it is possible to adapt and modify the theories ...