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...]

Today we will start a new series on polymer composites.  There are many types of composites including polymer composites, metal matrix composites and ceramic composites.  The focus of this series will be on composites made using polymeric resins.  Polymer composites are ubiquitous.  Many of us don’t realize the many applications of composite materials from aerospace, sporting ... [Click to Continue...]

In the previous several posts three methods were discussed to measure the glass transition temperature: Differential Scanning Calorimetry (DSC) Thermomechancial Analysis (TMA) Dynamic Mechanical Analysis (DMA) To compare the glass transition temperatures obtained using the three methods above, Tg data from an epoxy-amine system cured for 6 hours at 80oC is ... [Click to Continue...]