Guest Post by Dr. Robert (Bob) Humphreys Anyone who shops at a supermarket or views commercials for food products or orders food delivery via a phone app should be familiar with the emphasis on fresh produce, healthy and gourmet beverages, preservative- and hormone-free meats, dairy products, and prepared foods, and labels that claim “zero additives”, “no added sugar or high ... [Click to Continue...]

This post will provide an overview of the thermoset resins used as the polymer matrix in typical composites.  The choice of the resin matrix is important in that it defines some of the critical composite properties such as toughness, moisture absorption, chemical resistance, weathering, permeability, compatibility and fiber wet-out, along with thermal and electrical ... [Click to Continue...]

In this introductory post, common reinforcements for composites will be presented.  This will serve to “set the table” for future discussions on prepregs, laminates and a wide range of fiber reinforced composites.  The choice of reinforcement is a critical factor when designing or selecting composite materials since in many applications, the properties of the composite are ... [Click to Continue...]

As was discussed in the first post, composites span a wide range of performance and cost.  In this post, we will provide an introduction to polymers used in a wide variety of composites.  In the first part of this series, the focus will be on composites utilizing thermosetting resins.    Why thermosetting polymers are used in composites? High molecular weight ... [Click to Continue...]