Composite materials and their importance

A composite material is made up of two or more materials which possess different physical or chemical characteristics. There is no limit to the total number of materials that can be combined to make a composite material. You can combine as many materials as you wish to come up with a final product that meets your personal preferences. On the other hand, there are typically no limits to the nature and type of materials that can be combined. One example of this is combining materials such as metals and polymers to come up with a material which possesses better attributes.

When two or more materials have been combined to come up with a composite material, the overall material contains constituents whose properties are still distinct in all respects. Both the chemical and physical properties ofeach constituent remain unaltered when two more materials are combined to form a composite material. Therefore, the material is said to possess physical and chemical properties which are a combination of the materials which it contains. For example, a composite material made up of two metals will possess the attributes of the individual metals which the composite contains.

There are numerous reasons why composite materials are made. One of the major reasons is the fact that composites often possess better properties compared to the constituents individually. For example, a composite material made up of two or more metals will be able to exhibit features such as high tensile strength and hardness. Similarly, composites such as concrete have more compressive strength than that of the individual constituents.

It is sometimes cheaper to come up with a composite material and to exploit its attributes than it is to use the individual constituent materials. This is one of the major reasons why the use of composites is often preferred compared to the individual materials that it contains. In most cases, the costs are lowered if composites are used because they may be cheaper to process and produce. On the other hand, it may also be more durable compared to its constituent materials. Since a composite material possesses attributes of all its constituent materials, it is going to be useful for more purposes compared to its constituent materials.

There are numerous examples of composites that are currently available today. Each composite possesses properties which make it suitable for its specific use. Concrete is a perfect example of a composite that has been used for many years in construction. It constitutes cement, aggregates and sand. Another example of a composite material is thermoplastic composites. All thermoplastic composite materials are made up of two or more thermoplastics materials in order to create a final product whose attributes are better than a single thermoplastic material.