Composite Materials: Science and Engineering Second Edition

Originally published in the series: Materials Research and Engineering

Chawla, Krishan K.
0387984097 Springer 1998
0387964789(1ed.) Springer 1987
This second edition of a widely used text offers an integrated and completely up-to-date coverage
of composite materials. Focusing on the relationship between structure and properties, it provides a
well-balanced treatment of the mechanics and the materials science of composites, while not neglecting
the importance of processing. The book has been revised and updated throughout, with new chapters
on fatigue and creep of composites. The text presents a detailed description of how the various
reinforcements (such as, glass, polyethylene, aramid, carbon), the materials in which they are
embedded (ceramics, metals, polymers), and of the interfaces between them, control the properties of
the composite materials at both the micro- and macro-levels. Extensive use is made of micrographs and
line drawings to emphasize the importance of of processing, microstructure, and properties in composite
materials. Examples of practical applications in various fields are given throughout the book, and
extensive references to the literature are provided. The book is intended for use in graduate and upper-
division undergraduate courses, but practicing engineers and researchers in industry and academe will
also find it a useful reference. About the author: K.K. Chawla has taught and done research at
institutions in Switzerland, Brazil, Canada, and the US and has served as a consultant to industry,
national laboratories, and government agencies. He is currently at the University of Alabama at
Birmingham. His books, used as texts throughout the world, include Ceramic Matrix Composites (1993),
Fibrous Materials (1998), Mechanical Metallurgy (1984), and Mechanical Behavior of Materials (1998)
(the last two as a co-author). From reviews of the first edition "By employing an economic writing style
and carefully selected references, figures, and suggested readings, [Chawla] has successfully produced
a relatively short but thorough book.... Clear, concise, and complete, [it] is an excellent up-to-date
introduction to fiber composite materials.... I would recommend it." -- MRS Bulletin "covers polymer,
metal, and ceramic matrix composites in a well-organized, up-to-date manner. It is filled with useful
tables, graphs, references, suggested readings and illustrations." -- American Scientist "Overall, this is
an excellent book for composite materials research. It can be used as a text book for undergraduate
seniors,... and as a reference book for engineers." -- Applied Mechanics Review

Table of contents
1. Introduction; 2. Reinforcements; 3. Matrix Materials; 4. Interfaces; 5. Polymer Matrix Composites; 6.
Metal Matrix Composites; 7. Ceramic Matrix Composites; 8. Carbon Fiber Composites; 9.
Multifilimentary Superconducting Composites; 10. Micromechanics of Composites; 11. Macromechanics
of Composites; 12. Monotonic Strength and Fracture; 13. Fatigue and Creep; 14. Designing with
Composites; Appendices
Krish an K. Ch awl a
Professor Chawla obtained his B.S. from Banaras Hindu University and his M.S. and Ph.D.
degrees from the University of Illinois at Urbana Champaign. He has taught and/or done research
at (in alphabetical order) Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ; Ecole Polytechnique Federale de
Lausanne (Switzerland); Federal Institute for Materials Research and Testing (BAM), Berlin
(Germany); German Aerospace Research Institute (DLR), Cologne (Germany); Instituto Militar de
Engenharia (Brazil); Laval University (Canada); Los Alamos National Lab, (USA); New Mexico
Tech (USA) Northwestern University (USA); University of Alabama at Birmingham (USA), and
University of Illinois at Urbana Champaign (USA). He served as the Chairman of the Dept. of
Materials and Mechanical Engineering, University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB) during
1999- 2001. Currently, he is a professor in the Dept. of Materials Science & Engineering at UAB.
He has published extensively in the areas of processing, microstructure, and mechanical behavior
of materials, in general, and composite materials and fibers, in particular. His current research
projects involve processing, microstructure and properties of metal matrix and ceramic matrix
composites. Among the areas of research interest are: powder processing of composites, thermal
management via composites, interfacial engineering in various composites, and high performance
fibers. Professor Chawla is author or coauthor of about 200 papers.
Besides being a member of various professional societies, Professor Chawla is Editor of
International Materials Review (published jointly by ASM International, USA and the Institute of
Materials, London) and a member of the Editorial Board of Journal of Materials Science
(Springer), Materials Characterization (Elsevier), and Trans Tech publications.
During 1989 1990, Professor Chawla served as a Program Director for metals and ceramics in the
Division of Materials Research, National Science Foundation, Washington, DC. Professor Chawla
serves as a consultant to the industry, US national laboratories, and various US federal government
agencies. In 1990, he was selected an ASM International Indian Institute of Metals lecturer. In
1992, he was the recipient of the Eshbach Society Distinguished Visiting Scholar Award from
Northwestern University. During the period of June, 1994 through June, 1995 he held the US
Dept. of Energy Faculty Fellowship at Oak Ridge National Lab. In 1996 he was given the
Distinguished Researcher Award by the New Mexico Tech. In 1997, he was made a Fellow of
ASM international. In 2000 he was awarded the Distinguished Alumnus award by Banaras Hindu
University. He received the Presidents Award for Excellence in Teaching, University of Alabama
at Birmingham in 2006.
Professor Chawla has organized a number of international conferences and workshops under the
auspices of National Science Foundation, United Engineering Foundation, and Engineering
Conferences International in different parts of the world. Most recently, he was a co-organizer of a
conference on Structural Composites under the auspices of American Composite Manufacturers
Association at the UAB campus. He has also given special courses on composite materials for the
engineers and researchers from the industry.

TEACHING
Professor Chawlas philosophy is that teaching and research do go hand-in-hand. He is constantly
endeavoring to put in new material into his classroom lectures from the insights gained from his
research work and that of others. A firm believer in lifelong learning, he tries to instill the same
passion for learning in his students. His motto is: One never stops learning. He is a very
demanding but compassionate teacher. Evidence of his devotion to teaching are the books that he
has written. He is one of those rare people who can claim that they use textbooks of their own
authorship in the courses they teach.

Textbooks Authored
1. Metal Matrix Composites, Springer, New York, 2006 (co-author)
2. Ceramic Matrix Composites, 2nd edition, Kluwer Academic Publishers, Boston,
2003Mechanical Behavior of Materials, Prentice Hall Inc., Upper Saddle River, N.J., 1999 (co-
author)
3. Fibrous Materials, Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, England, 1999.
4. Composite Materials: Science & Engineering, 2nd edition, Springer, New York, 1998.
5. Mechanical Metallurgy: Principles and Applications, Prentice Hall Inc., Englewood Cliffs, N.J.,
USA, 1984 (co-author.)
6. M.A. Meyers and K.K. Chawla, Principios de Metalurgia Mecanica, Editora Edgard Blucher,
Sao Paulo, Brasil, 1982 (co-author.)

Books Edited
1. F.T. Wallenberger, N. Weston, K.K. Chawla, R. Ford, and R.P. Wool (eds.) Advanced Fibers,
Plastics, Laminates and Composites, vol. 702, Materials Research Society, Boston, MA, 2002.
2. K.K. Chawla, A. Mortensen, and J.-A. E. Manson (eds.), Processing of Fibers and Composites,
Elsevier, Oxford, 2001.
3. R.A. Lowden, M.K. Ferber, J.R. Hellmann, K.K. Chawla, and S.G. DiPietro (eds.), Ceramic
Matrix Composites - Adv. High-Temperature Structural Materials, Materials Research Society,
Pittsburgh, PA, 1995.
4. K.K. Chawla, P.K. Liaw, and S.G. Fishman (eds.) High Performance Composite: Commonalty
of Phenomena, The Minerals, Metals & Materials Society, Warrendale, PA., 1994.
RESEARCH PROJECTS
Oxide/Oxide Composites (ONR, NATO)
Double Cemented Carbide Composites (NSF)
Wear of Carbide/Bronze Composites (ONR)
Long Fiber Reinforced Thermoplastic Composites (ARL, FTA)
Carbon Microballoons and Syntactic Foams (LANL/DoE)
Sintered Metal Microfibrous Networks (NSF)
Damage in Thermally Loaded Glass matrix Composites (NATO

Contact:
UAB School of Engineering
BEC 360B
Phone: (205) 975-9725
Fax: (205) 934-8485
E-mail: Dr. Krishan K. Chawla