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Composite Materials

Published: December 31, 2017 | Last updated: July 5, 2023

What Does Composite Materials Mean?

Composite materials are made up of two or more components which retain their distinct identities within the final product. Modern composites are generally lighter, stronger, and less expensive than traditionally used materials.

The trenchless construction industry makes use of composite materials in the selection of pipes as well as construction products used during the process of excavation.

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Trenchlesspedia Explains Composite Materials

Sometimes a final product is more than the sum of its parts. That’s the case with composite materials. Wood and bone are considered natural composites. Since the earliest days of construction, humans have depended on composite materials to provide the strength and resilience needed in their homes and public buildings.

Early builders experimented with various forms of mud brick, mixing mud, sand, and water with rice or straw. Concrete, a mixture of sand, cement, gravel, or other components, is perhaps the most common composite material in the world. Today, high-tech polymers play a significant role in our everyday lives.

There has been great progress in the development of composite materials in recent years. The first modern composite was fiberglass, well-known for its use in the manufacturing and repair of cars and boats. Man-made composites can be divided into three groups:

  • Metal matrix composites (MMC)

  • Polymer matrix composites (PMC)

  • Ceramic matrix composites (CMC)

The future of composite materials is wide open, and nanotechnology could play a major part.

Composite materials are widely used in trenchless construction products. Thermoplastics have been the choice in underground piping for some time rather than the steel or iron pipes of the past. They are less corrosive and more resilient.

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Synonyms

Composites

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