Robert L. Sierakowski - Böcker

Emphasizing polymer based fiber-reinforced composites, this book is designed to provide readers with a significant understanding of the complexities involved in characterizing dynamic events and the corresponding response of advanced fiber composite materials and structures. These elements include dynamic loading devices, material properties characterization, analytical and experimental techniques to assess the damage and failure modes associated with various dynamic loading events. Concluding remarks are presented throughout the text which summarize key points and raise issues related to important research needed.

Composite structures and products have developed tremendously since the publication of the first edition of this work in 1986. This updated edition has been written to educate the engineering reader in the various aspects of mechanics for using composite materials in the design and analysis of composite structures and products. Areas dealt with include manufacture, micromechanical properties, structural design, joints and bonding and a much needed introduction to composite design philosophy. Each chapter is concluded by numerous problems suitable for home assignments or examination. A solution guide is available on request from the authors.

This recent book provides a detailed presentation of damage tolerance assessment and characterization methods for advanced composites, as well as an examination of the role of damage tolerance in the design of composites. Included are analytical models for different types of damage in different composite materials. Tables provide helpful reference data. Schematics illustrate materials constructions, aspects of damage, and damage evaluation techniques. A valuable aid in the evaluation and design of composites for damage resistance.

While currently available texts dealing with the subject of high perfor­ mance composite materials touch upon a spectra of topics such as mechanical metallurgy, physical metallurgy, micromechanics and macro­ mechanics of such systems, it is the specific purpose of this text to examine elements of the mechanics of structural components composed of composite materials. This text is intended for use in training engineers in this new technology and rational thought processes necessary to develop a better understanding of the behavior of such material systems for use as structural components. The concepts are further exploited in terms of the structural format and development to which the book is dedicated. To this end the development progresses systematically by first introducing the notion and concepts of what these new material classes are, the fabrication processes involved and their unique features relative to conventional monolithic materials. Such introductory remarks, while far too short in texts of this type, appear necessary as a precursor for engineers to develop a better understanding for design purposes of both the threshold limits to which the properties of such systems can be pushed as well as the practical limitations on their manufacture. Following these introductory remarks, an in-depth discussion of the important differences between composites and conventional monolithic material types is discussed in terms of developing the concepts associated with directional material properties.