Flow-Induced Alignment in Composite Materials

<p>The purpose of aligning short fibers in a fiber-reinforced material is to improve the mechanical properties of the resulting composite. Aligning the fibers, generally in a preferred direction, allows them to contribute as much as possible to reinforcing the material.</p> <p>The first edition of this book detailed, in a single volume, the science, processing, applications, characterization and properties of composite materials reinforced with short fibers that have been orientated in a preferred direction by flows arising during processing.</p> <p>The technology of fiber-reinforced composites is continually evolving and this new edition provides timely and much needed information about this important class of engineering materials.</p> <p>Each of the original chapters have been brought fully up-to-date and new developments such as: the advent of nano-composites and the issues relating to their alignment; the wider use of long-fiber composites and the appearance of models able to capture their orientation during flow; the wider use of flows in micro-channels in the context of composites fabrication; and the increase in computing power, which has made relevant simulations (especially coupling flow kinematics to fiber content and orientation) much easier to perform are all covered in detail.</p> <p>The book will be an essential up-to-date reference resource for materials scientists, students, and engineers who are working in the relevant areas of particulate composites, short fiber-reinforced composites or nanocomposites.</p>