Abstract
The purpose of this chapter is to follow two converging strands of thought from the 20th century:- the first is that cracks can be stopped by interfaces within composite materials, thus providing tough new materials for aircraft and city cars which have weight and crash problems [1]; the second is that moulding high quality fibres such as carbon into polymer resins can deliver competitive body parts for vehicles, thereby advancing car performance radically [2]. These two concepts were initially different because the first was philosophical and scientific whereas the second was pragmatic and based on racing competition. However, both proved necessary to understand the potential benefits of carbon and other fibres to the massive city car market now growing through the 21st century, which is demanding 2 billion new vehicles, with 1 bn in China alone [3,4].
Original language | English |
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Title of host publication | The Structural Integrity of Carbon Fiber Composites |
Subtitle of host publication | Fifty Years of Progress and Achievement of the Science, Development, and Applications |
Editors | Peter W. R. Beaumont, Constantinos Soutis, Alma Hodzic |
Place of Publication | Switzerland |
Publisher | Springer Verlag |
Pages | 645-663 |
Number of pages | 18 |
Volume | V |
ISBN (Electronic) | 978-3-319-46120-5 |
ISBN (Print) | 978-3-319-46118-2 |
DOIs | |
Publication status | Published - 29 Nov 2016 |
Keywords
- composites
- crack stopping
- theory of composite toughening
- composites in cars