Advances in Automobile Engineering
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Composite Materials

A composite material is a material made from two or more constituent materials with significantly different physical or chemical properties that, when combined, produce a material with characteristics different from the individual constituents which are specialized too fit in a specific role. Composite materials achieve the majority of their beneficial properties from a strong bond between the strong, stiff reinforcement. Natural composites exist in both animals and plants. Wood is a composite – it is made from long cellulose fibres (a polymer) held together by a much weaker substance called lignin. Cellulose is also found in cotton, but without the lignin to bind it together it is much weaker. The biggest advantage of modern composite materials is that they are light as well as strong. By choosing an appropriate combination of matrix and reinforcement material, a new material can be made that exactly meets the requirements of a particular application.The promise of a “no-compromises” material that accomplishes exactly what you want sounds like a fantasy. Yet, composite materials manage to do just that.