ABSTRACT
The behaviour of polymeric, ceramic or metallic materials in a composite changes completely. The new materials produced often have very different properties, including strength and durability. There are many examples of composite structures in nature: leaf forms are composed of layers that give them great strength and resilience. Some composites are made in order to extend the bulk of a high-cost material with cheaper additives or in order to modify the properties of a material for specialist use. A composite material is one made from two or more materials which give a range of properties and behaviour not found in the individual component materials. Floor coverings use ceramic, polymeric and composite materials. The whole floor assembly could be regarded as a composite; a combination of two or more materials and a substrate such that a larger-scale layered composite is formed.
