Published August 1969
Reinforced plastics are one family of the large class of composite materials that consist of both natural and man-made products such as wood, clad metals, filled metals and resins, and sandwich structures. A composite can consist of any combination of two or more materials that are bonded together to have properties different than their own and that act as one structure but maintain a distinct interface between them. Reinforced plastics are man-made composites that contain a resinous matrix with reinforcing fibers in woven or nonwoven forms.
The report outlines the properties of both various polymeric materials available and some of the more common fibrous reinforcements, reviews the strengthening principles and micromechanisms of the composites, and surveys the status of the industry. However, the process costs are limited to products with commercial values and those that are fabricated by existing processing methods--compression; hand lay-up, spray-up, pressure-bag, and autoclave molding; filament winding; centrifugal casting; continuous laminating; pultrusion of glass fiber-reinforced thermosetting materials; and rotational and injection molding of glass fiber-reinforced thermoplastics. Published observations and conclusions on the properties and factors affecting the properties of some of the reinforced plastics are summarized.
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