Composite Review

What was one of the 1st composites created?

• mud bricks (straw and mud)

• plywood (wood pieces and glue)

• fiberglass (glass fibers, woven material, and resin)

• concrete (cement, water, and rock)

A composite could be defined as a material made of just 2 or more materials that have very different properties.

• True

• False

What are the 2 components a composite needs to have?

• matrix (something that binds)

• separator

• reinforcement

• rebar

What is an advantage to using composites?

• make complex shapes

• they are sturdy

• they are heavy

• there are no advantages

What would be 3 reasons why people would use composite materials

• lightweight

• complex

• brittle (breaks easily)

• tolerant to fatigue (meaning there is some give)

• thermally stable

What are 2 advantages to using a composite vs aluminum in airplane design?

• cheaper

• produce less pollution

• lighter

• smaller

What would be a reason NASA scientists would want to do so much testing with composites?

• cheaper

• harder

• safer

• so they can learn how to predict the behavior of the material