Mechanical Behavior of Composites and Polymers

This chapter is divided in two sections; the first section is an introduction to the nature and classification composite materials, followed with a description of the mechanical behavior of fiber reinforced resin matrix composites, including the concepts of critical fiber length and fiber content to achieve functional composites. The modes of composite materials failure are described along with the most accepted equations to predict the strength of uniaxial fiber reinforced composites. The second section of this chapter deals with the mechanical behavior of thermoplastic polymers, describing the concepts of relaxation and glass transformation, a brief description of the Maxwell and Voight models of stress-strain behavior of thermoplastic polymers and a brief description of the mechanical behavior of elastomers. The chapter finishes with an introduction to the main failure mechanisms of polymers.