ABSTRACT
Composite structures are widely used in the aerospace, marine, aviation, transport, sport/leisure, and civil engineering industries [1]. In the past decade, advanced composite materials have been widely used in a variety of load-bearing structures such as rotor blades, aircraft fuselage, and wing skins [2]. For example, 52% by weight of the new Dreamliner and 25% by weight of the new Airbus A380 are made from composite materials. The unique properties of composite materials such as their high strength-toweight ratio, high creep resistance, high tensile strength at elevated temperatures, and high toughness have been attracting increasing interest in numerous applications in different industries such as the automotive and aerospace industries [1,3]. It should be
1.1 Introduction ......................................................................................................1 1.2 Composite Materials: Structures and Types .....................................................2
