This updated and enlarged third 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. The third edition has been thoroughly updated and has a vast amount of new material, including plenty of new exercises and illustrations.

This new edition covers:

- New types of fibrous and particulate reinforcements

- New ceramic fibers, such as Nextel 720

- New processing techniques of polymer matrix composites

- Polymeric composite foams

- New processing techniques in metal matrix composites

- New applications such as power generation cables involving use of Nextel fiber reinforced aluminum composites

- Metallic composite foams

- New processing techniques for ceramic matrix composites

- A detailed derivation of thermal stresses generated in fibrous and particulate composites

- New material on the subject of thermal conductivity

- Recent work in the area of fatigue and creep of different composites

- New examples of design of components with composites

Some praise for previous editions:

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