NATURAL COMPOSITES

Composites can be easily found in nature. Wood is an example of a composite because cellulose fibers are held together by substance called lignin. These fibers can be found in cotton and thread, but it's the bonding power of lignin in wood that makes it much tougher. Another natural composite is rock and sand, materials used in concrete. Rock is just smaller rocks held together, and sand is made of small grains. Wood is a good example of a natural composite. Wood is a combination of cellulose fiber and lignin. The cellulose fiber provides strength and the lignin is the "glue" that bonds and stabilizes the fiber. Bamboo is a very efficient wood composite structure. The components are cellulose and lignin, as in all other wood, however bamboo is hollow. This results in a very light yet stiff structure. Composite fishing poles and golf club shafts copy this natural design.

MAN MADE COMPOSITE MATERIALS

Plywood is a man-made composite combining natural and synthetic materials. Thin layers of wood veneer are bonded together with adhesive to form flat sheets of laminated wood that are stronger than natural wood. There are other man-made combinations of natural materials that form useful composites. The ancient Egyptians manufactured composites! Adobe bricks are a good example. The combination of mud and straw forms a composite that is stronger than either the mud or the straw by itself. Concrete and steel combine to create structures that are rigid and strong. This is a classic composite material where there is a synergy between materials. In this case, synergy means that the composite (or combination) of materials is stronger and performs better than the individual materials. Concrete is rigid and has good compression strength, while steel has high tensile strength. The result is a structure that is strong in both tension and compression.

Another composite product with which we are all familiar is the rubber tire. A typical car tire is a combination of a rubber compound and reinforcement such as steel, nylon, aramid, or other fibers. The rubber acts as a matrix, holding the reinforcement in place. The matrix is the glue that holds the fiber in place. While the broad definition of composites is accurate, it is too general. A specific definition of composites for our purposes is: "A combination of fiber reinforcement and a polymer matrix." For example, polyester resin is the matrix and glass fiber is the reinforcement. The glass fiber provides strength and stiffness, and the resin provides shape and protects the fibers.

OPTICAL PROPERTIES

The optical properties described on: include color, luster, streak, index of refraction, dispersion, and a particular kind of luminescence called fluoresce nce. All of these properties are also dependent on the interaction of light, mineral structure and composition, and human vision. Since the late 19th century, it has been accepted that light is a form of electromagnetic energy.

OPTICAL PROPERTIES

Glasses are among the few solids that transmit visible light.

OPTICAL PROPERTIES OF COMPOSITE MATERIALS AT HIGH TEMPERATURES

The optical properties of composite materials are studied theoretically as a function of temperature via a phenomenological model for temperatures up to the melting points of the materials. Both the MaxwellGarnett and Bruggeman models are considered and the temperature variation of the optical constants of the metallic particles is obtained with an account of the dependence of both the electron-phonon and electronelectron scattering on temperature. The results show that the extinction coefficient of the composite generally increases with temperature and that the Maxwell-Garnett and Bruggeman models can give very different results at certain optical frequency. Transmittance through a thin composite film is calculated providing a means for a simple experimental study of the various modeling results.

ELECTRICAL CONDUCTIVITY AND RESISTIVITY

It is well known that one of the subatomic particles of an atom is the electron. The electrons carry a negative electrostatic charge and under certain conditions can move from atom to atom. The direction of movement between atoms is random unless a force causes the electrons to move in one direction. This directional movement of electrons due to an electromotive force is what is known as electricity.