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ENAS203

Composite Materials

Syllabus

  1. Introduction (4 hours)
    1. Fundamentals of composite materials: definition, composite materials and its applications, classification based on matrix and structure, properties, advantages and applications of composite materials
    2. Reinforcement: whisker, glass fiber, carbon fiber, ceramic fiber, aramid and boron fiber
  2. Metal Matrix Composite (4 hours)
    1. Metallic materials: superalloys, titanium alloys, intermetallic and metal matrix composites, functionally graded materials
    2. Types of metal matrix composite (MMC): particle-reinforced MMCs, short fiber or whisker-reinforced MMCs, continuous fiber or sheet-reinforced MMCs
    3. Processing of MMCs: liquid state methods, solid state methods, semi-solid-state methods, in situ methods, deposition methods, their types and applications
  3. Ceramics Matrix Composite (7 hours)
    1. Fundamentals of ceramics matrix composite: matrix, reinforcements and their types
    2. Ceramic materials: polymer-derived ceramics, thermal barrier coatings, silica tiles, ceramic aerogels, porous ceramics and ceramic foams, ultrahigh temperature ceramics, glass ceramics
    3. Types of ceramics matrix composite (CMC): carbon-carbon composite, carbon-silicon carbide composites, silicon carbide-silicon carbide composites, oxide-oxide composites, silicon carbide/aluminum oxide composites
    4. Processing of CMCs: sintering, hot pressing, melt infiltration process, matrix deposition or infiltration from the gas phase, in-situ chemical reaction techniques, sol-gel method, polymer pyrolysis method, cold isostatic processing, hot isostatic processing
    5. Rule of mixture: volume fraction, weight fraction, determination of longitudinal and transverse modulus of composite, influence of fiber length, critical length, strength calculation of composite materials
  4. Polymer Matrix Composite (5 hours)
    1. Types of polymer matrix composite: thermosets, thermoplastics and rubber
    2. Reinforcements used in PMCs: glass, carbon, aramids, boron, rovings, yarns, fabrics
    3. Thermoset matrices for aerospace components: polyesters, epoxies, phenolics, vinyl esters, cyanate esters
  5. Specialty Materials (5 hours)
    1. Materials for the space environment: radiation shielding materials, atomic oxygen-resistant materials, space suit materials, and materials for life support systems
    2. Composites for satellites and advanced launch vehicles
  6. Nanocomposite (5 hours)
    1. Nanomaterials: introduction to nanomaterials, size and shape-dependent properties and their uniqueness; energy at the nanoscale: surface characteristics and electrostatic stabilization; quantum confinement in zero-dimensional, one-dimensional and two-dimensional nanostructures
    2. Nanocomposites types: core-shell structured nanocomposites, super hard nanocomposites and improvements in mechanical properties, self-cleaning nanocomposites, metal matrix nanocomposites and their properties and functional applications
    3. Applications of nanocomposite in the aerospace industry