ABSTRACT
Composite materials are used in a variety of applications due to various reasons including weight minimization, corrosion and wear resistance, erosion resistance, high-temperature performance, thermal and acoustical insulation, electrical performance, and lifecycle cost reductions. In military applications, aircra as well as ground vehicles and tactical weapons employ composite materials in order to provide better mobility due to weight reductions oered. Some applications require the low weight and high stiness achievable only with the use of structural sandwich design approaches. Other applications involving usage in a highly corrosive environment require the use of composite materials in order to maintain system reliability at an aordable cost. e variety of options for materials and processes available to the designer mandate that an understanding of the operational environment, system-level
17.1 Introduction ......................................................................................427 17.2 Background ........................................................................................428 17.3 Application ........................................................................................429
