Composite materials
Jump to navigation
Jump to search
Composite materials are materials that are composed of two different materials in order to blend their properties.
In the context of rocketry, this usually refers to glass, Kevlar, basalt, or carbon fibers embedded in a thermoset plastic resin.
Fiber types[edit]
Fiberglass[edit]
- E-glass
- S-glass
Kevlar[edit]
Basalt[edit]
Carbon[edit]
various different elastic moduli and tensile strength tradeoffs are available
Matrix Types[edit]
Polyester[edit]
Often used on boats. Rarely used for hobby rocketry.
Epoxy[edit]
Fiber layup arrangements[edit]
Filament winding[edit]
Unidirectional[edit]
Woven cloth[edit]
Nonwoven cloth[edit]
Resin application methods[edit]
Wet layup[edit]
used for filament winding: you dip the tow in resin before winding
Prepreg[edit]
Vacuum-assisted resin transfer[edit]
Compression methods[edit]
Sandbags[edit]
Vacuum bagging[edit]
(applies to VARTM too)