This appendix lists the designations, commercial sources, and suppliers of different types of fibers and resins.

The most common methods for preparing polymeric composites for microscopic analysis can be used for most fiber-reinforced composite materials. There are, however, a few composite materials that require special preparation techniques. This chapter discusses the processes involved in the preparation of titanium honeycomb composites, boron fiber composites, titanium/polymeric composite hybrids, and uncured prepreg materials.

This chapter discusses the properties and processing characteristics of glass, aramid, carbon, and ultra-high molecular weight polyethylene fibers and related product forms, including woven fabrics, prepreg, and reinforced mats. It also includes a review of fiber terminology as well as physical and mechanical property data for commercially important high-strength fibers.

This chapter examines the static, fatigue, and damage tolerance properties of glass, aramid, and carbon fiber systems. It also explains how delaminations, voids, porosity, fiber distortion, and fastener hole defects affect impact resistance and strength.

This article briefly introduces some commonly used methods of mechanical testing of plastics for determining mechanical properties, also describing the test methods and providing comparative data for the mechanical property tests. In addition, creep testing and dynamic mechanical analyses of viscoelastic plastics are briefly described. The discussion covers the most commonly used tests for impact performance, various types of hardness test for plastics, the fatigue strength of viscoelastic materials, and the tension testing of elastomers and fibers.

In an attempt to explain the stresses encountered in the plastics industry, this article first defines the different types of internal stresses in amorphous polymers. Each type of thermal stress is then discussed in detail, with reference to the mechanism of generation and the effect on engineering properties. Methods of detecting and measuring internal stresses are also presented. The article then describes the combined effects of thermal stresses and orientation that result from processing conditions. Finally, it discusses numerous aspects of physical aging and the use of high-modulus graphite fibers in amorphous polymers.