Composite material

Description

A composite material is a combination of two or more solid materials. Each component of the composition retains its own identity, but their combination forms a stronger matrix than either single material. Examples are fiber reinforced plastic, brick, cement, cermets, ceramics. plywood, laminated films, coated fabric, or metal alloys. Composite are often reinforced through the addition of continuous fibers such as fiberglass, carbon fibers, or Kevlar®. The reinforcement typically provides a lighter material with greater tensile strength.

Synonyms and Related Terms

Verbundwerkstoff (Deut.); materiales compuestos (Esp.); matériau composite (Fr.); materiale composito (It.); composiet materiaal (Ned.); materia³ kompozytowy (Pol.); material composto (Port.);

Authority

• Theodore J. Reinhart, 'Glossary of Terms', Engineered Plastics, ASM International, 1988

• Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia, at http://www.wikipedia.com Comment: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Composite_material (Accessed Mar. 1, 2006) (for non-English terms)