ABSTRACT
This chapter shows the design engineer's interest in composites derives from the properties. Carbon fibre reinforced plastic (CFRP) can be seen to have similar properties to steel along the fibres in terms of Young's modulus and strength, but with approximately one fifth of the density. Composites are very important in structural engineering, because composite materials have a much higher strength to weight ratio than metals. They are also used in automobile engineering, especially for racing cars, together with numerous artefacts in many sports. The chapter shows to: understand the difference between an isotropic material and an orthotropic material, appreciate what a plane stress and strain is for a composite material, and appreciate what an anisotropic material is. It also shows to: understand and develop a stiffness matrix for a composite, understand and develop a compliance matrix for a composite, appreciate what a Reuter's matrix is, appreciate some failure criteria for composites.
