Should We Be Concerned about the Long Term Perfromance of Composite Materials?

Whilst the ageing of humans has been a popular point of discussion for many years we are now looking at the world around us to assess the damage that ageing can cause. Ageing of Composites from Woodhead Publishing addresses many of the uncertainties about the long-term performance of composites, an important issue due to the increased use of composites in structural applications.

A variety of composites from glass reinforced to silicon carbide composites are examined along with their characteristics to provide an overview of how different composites age under conditions encountered in service. Both transport and non-transport applications are assessed as far reaching as aircraft and implants used in medical devises. Ageing is discussed in terms of stress corrosion cracking as well as both physical and chemical ageing to enable problem identification and causes to assist with both design and maintenance of structures. Whilst ageing is not preventable a heightened knowledge of its effects can lead to a greater degree of material performance and durability.

Ageing of composites will be a valuable reference guide for composite manufacturers and developers. It will also serve as a source of information for material scientists, designers and engineers in industries that use composites, including transport, chemical processing and medical engineering.