ABSTRACT
Major constituents in a fiber-reinforced composite material are the reinforcing
fibers and a matrix, which acts as a binder for the fibers. Other constituents that
may also be found are coupling agents, coatings, and fillers. Coupling agents
and coatings are applied on the fibers to improve their wetting with the matrix
as well as to promote bonding across the fiber-matrix interface. Both in turn
promote a better load transfer between the fibers and the matrix. Fillers are
used with some polymeric matrices primarily to reduce cost and improve their
dimensional stability.
