This book addresses the issue of designing the microstructure of fiber composite materials in order to obtain optimum performance. Besides the systematic treatment of conventional continuous and discontinuous fiber composites, the book also presents the state-of-the-art of the development of textile structural composites as well as the nonlinear elastic finite deformation theory of flexible composites. The author's experience during twenty years of research and teaching on composite materials is reflected in the broad spectrum of topics covered, including laminated composites, statistical strength theories of continuous fiber composites, short fiber composites, hybrid composites, two- and three-dimensional textile structural composites and flexible composites. This book provides the first comprehensive analysis and modeling of the thermo-mechanical behavior of fiber composites with these distinct microstructures. Overall, the inter-relationships among the processing, microstructures and properties of these materials are emphasized throughout the book. The book is intended as a text for graduate or advanced undergraduate students, but will also be an excellent reference for all materials scientists and engineers who are researching or working with these materials.
