In the previous chapter, some background was provided about types of reinforcement and their distribution within different matrices. Attention is now turned to predicting the behaviour of the resulting composites. The prime concern is with mechanical properties. The reinforcement is usually designed to enhance the stiffness and strength of the matrix. The details of this enhancement can be rather complex. The simplest starting point is the elastic behaviour of a composite with aligned long (continuous) fibres. This arrangement creates high stiffness (and strength) in the fibre direction. However, it is also important to understand the behaviour when loaded in other directions, so the treatment also covers transverse loading. In this chapter, and in the following one, perfect bonding is assumed at the fibre/matrix interface. Details concerning this region, and consequences of imperfect bonding, are considered in Chapter 6.
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