Definition - What does Composite mean?
A composite is a special type of material made up of two or more constituent materials that have significantly different chemical and physical properties. These two unique materials are brought together and combined to produce a material that is called composite material or simply composite. The characteristics gained by the composite material are entirely different from the properties of the two individual materials.
Corrosionpedia explains Composite
Composite materials are in high demand for many engineering projects. Some of the most widely used composite materials include:
- Concrete and mortar. Concrete is considered to be an artificial composite material.
- Reinforced plastics (fiber reinforced polymer).
- Metal composites.
- Ceramic composites that contain ceramic as well as metallic properties.
- Carbon-fiber-reinforced polymers (CFRP). These are strong and lightweight fiber-reinforced polymers that contain carbon fiber. They consist of two elements: a matrix and reinforcement. In CFRPs the reinforcement is the carbon fiber and the matrix is usually a polymer resin.
Composite materials show good resistance toward corrosive environments and therefore are used to construct large buildings, bridges, liquid storage tanks, automobile bodies and parts, etc.