Course Title: Design and Analysis of Composite Materials

Course Number: AerE 522x

Course Discipline: Engineering

The objective of this course is to give an engineer a practical understanding of the composite materials. The topics covered will be:

1. What is a composite, basic definition and various types of composite materials
2. Discussion on the various types of fibers available, their advantages and disadvantages
3. Various type of epoxies available, their advantages and disadvantages
4. Combination of the fibers and matrix to make the composites, their advantages and disadvantages
5. Fiber and matrix combination, rules of mixtures
6. Anisotropic materials, coupling terms
7. Rules of mixtures continued load transfer between fibers and matrix
8. Fiber dependent properties and matrix dependent properties
9. Strength of composites depending on fiber and matrix properties
10. Basic laminate analysis
11. Tailoring of the composite properties
12. Using the laminate code
13. The concept of stresses in individual plies and how in composite the failure can start inside and not necessarily on the outer surface
14. Basic failure modes of composites
15. Failure analysis of composites
16. Hygrothermal properties of composites
17. Hygrothermal stress-strains analysis
18. Designing with composites, design considerations of a composite beam
19. The use of honeycomb core in composites
20. Design of composite core.
21. Design of composite laminate
22. Short fiber composites

Prerequisites: Strength of materials course.

This course is primarily for Distance Engineering Students. People who are working and would like to learn the practical applications of Composite Materials are welcome.

In past I have had students from Boeing, NASA, Rockwell-Collins, Demographically they have been from all over USA.