About the Book
This updated and enlarged third edition of a widely used text offers an integrated and completely up-to-date coverage of composite materials. Focusing on the relationship between structure and properties, it provides a well-balanced treatment of the mechanics and the materials science of composites, while not neglecting the importance of processing. The book has been revised and updated throughout, with new chapters on fatigue and creep of composites. The text presents a detailed description of how the various reinforcements (such as, glass, polyethylene, aramid, carbon), the materials in which they are embedded (ceramics, metals, polymers), and of the interfaces between them, control the properties of the composite materials at both the micro- and macro-levels. Extensive use is made of micrographs and line drawings to emphasize the importance of of processing, microstructure, and properties in composite materials. Examples of practical applications in various fields are given throughout the book, and extensive references to the literature are provided.The book is intended for use in graduate and upper-division undergraduate courses, but practicing engineers and researchers in industry and academe will also find it a useful reference.
The third edition has been thoroughly updated and has a vast amount of new material, including plenty of new exercises and illustrations.This new edition covers: - New types of fibrous and particulate reinforcements - New ceramic fibers, such as Nextel 720 - New processing techniques of polymer matrix composites - Polymeric composite foams - New processing techniques in metal matrix composites - New applications such as power generation cables involving use of Nextel fiber reinforced aluminum composites - Metallic composite foams - New processing techniques for ceramic matrix composites - A detailed derivation of thermal stresses generated in fibrous and particulate composites - New material on the subject of thermal conductivity - Recent work in the area of fatigue and creep of different composites - New examples of design of components with composites Some praise for previous editions: "By employing an economic writing style and carefully selected references, figures, and suggested readings, [Chawla] has successfully produced a relatively short but thorough book...Clear, concise, and complete, [it] is an excellent up-to-date introduction to fiber composite materials...I would recommend it.
" -- MRS Bulletin "Covers polymer, metal, and ceramic matrix composites in a well-organized, up-to-date manner.It is filled with useful tables, graphs, references, suggested readings and illustrations." -- American Scientist "Overall, this is an excellent book for composite materials research. It can be used as a text book for undergraduate seniors,...and as a reference book for engineers." -- Applied Mechanics Review
Table of Contents:
1. Introduction.- 2. Reinforcements.- 3. Matrix Materials.- 4. Interfaces.- 5. Polymer Matrix Composites.- 6. Metal Matrix Composites.- 7. Ceramic Matrix Composites.- 8. Carbon Fiber/Carbon Matrix Composites.- 9. Multifilamentary Superconducting Composites.- 10. Micromechanics of Composites.- 11. Macromechanics of Composites.- 12. Monotonic Strength and Fracture.- 13. Fatigue and Creep.- 14. Designing with Composites.- 15. Non-Conventional Composites.
About the Author :
Krishan K. Chawla has taught and done research at institutions in Switzerland, Brazil, Canada, and the United States and has served as a consultant to industry, national laboratories, and government agencies. He is currently at the University of Alabama at Birmingham.
Review :
From the reviews: "... Well-organized, up-to-date, informative ... filled with useful tables, graphs, references, suggested readings, and illustrations. The book is well designed for its intended market ..." American Scientist From reviews of the first edition: "covers polymer, metal, and ceramic matrix composites in a well-organized, up-to-date manner. It is filled with useful tables, graphs, references, suggested readings and illustrations." -- American Scientist "Overall, this is an excellent book for composite materials research. It can be used as a text book for undergraduate seniors,... and as a reference book for engineers." -- Applied Mechanics Review MRS BULLETIN "Prof. Chawla has attempted the formidable task of including essentially all types of fiber composite materials and their properties in a single text. By employing an economic writing style and carefully selected references, figures, and suggested readings, he has successfully produced a relatively short but thorough 292-page book...Clear, concise, and complete, this book is an excellent up-to-date introduction to fiber composite materials. I would recommend it for a first course in composite materials at the advanced undergraduate or first-year graduate level. It is also valuable for the practicing engineer or scientist who wishes to become familiar with the growing field of fiber composites." SAMPE JOURNAL "Readers will find this valuable text to be current, well-written and lucid. In addition each chapter contains many references and suggested reading material." IEEE ELECTRICAL INSULATION MAGAZINE "This book covers thoroughly the broad base of composites. The book is divided into three parts and twelve chapters, plus a very useful set of appendices and problems." CHOICE MAGAZINE"...he uses a conversational style often more intuitive than that used in other works...useful as a course supplement, or as a resource for students already exposed to the subject via a more traditional approach...In summary, a valuable addition to an undergraduate library collection."
