Ageing of composites is a highly topical subject given the increasing use of composites in structural applications in many industries. Ageing of composites addresses many of the uncertainties about the long-term performance of composites and how they age under conditions encountered in service.The first part of the book reviews processes and modelling of composite ageing including physical and chemical ageing of polymeric composites, ageing of glass-ceramic matrix composites, chemical ageing mechanisms, stress corrosion cracking, thermo-oxidative ageing, spectroscopy of ageing composites, modelling physical and accelerated ageing and ageing of silicon carbide composites. Part two examines ageing of composites in transport applications including aircraft, vehicles and ships. Part three reviews ageing of composites in non-transport applications such as implants in medical devices, oil and gas refining, construction, chemical processing and underwater applications.With its distinguished editor and international team of contributors, Ageing of composites is a valuable reference guide for composite manufacturers and developers. It also serves as a source of information for material scientists, designers and engineers in industries that use composites, including transport, chemical processing and medical engineering. - Addresses many of the uncertainties about the long-term performance of composites and how they age under conditions encountered in service - Reviews processes and modelling of composite ageing including chemical ageing mechanisms and stress corrosion cracking - Discusses ageing of composites in both transport and non-transport applications ranging from aircraft to implants in medical devices

The third International Conference on Composite Interfaces (ICCI-III) was held under the auspecies of ASM International, The Aluminum Company of America (Alcoa), The Edison Polymer Innovation Co. (EPIC), Case Western Reserve University, Nippon Glass Fiber Co., Nitto Boseki Co., Office of Naval Reserach (ONR), SAMPE Japan, Teijin Co., Mobay Co., Union Carbide Co., and Vetrotex Sain-Gobain. The underlying philosophy of the conference continues to be the promotion of fundamental understanding of the structure and role of composite interfaces. With the growth of composite interface studies, the research direction naturally changes from characterization and understanding of interfacial structure to controlling this structure. For this reason, the conference was subtitled, "Controlled Interphase Structure." The rather unfamiliar phrase "interphase" is used to emphasize the interfacial region whose properties are different from the bulk. The importance of the interphase to the mechanochemical properties has been rapidly recognized among composite researchers in recent years. The conference incorporated nine sessions. No concurrent sessions were planned because of the strong interest among panicipants and organizers to intennix researchers from different disciplines. Papers presented were redistributed in Pans I throught V. Because of this, both the conference and proceedings are not organized based on the traditional disciplines or materials, but rather around concepts.

Lists citations with abstracts for aerospace related reports obtained from world wide sources and announces documents that have recently been entered into the NASA Scientific and Technical Information Database.

February issue includes Appendix entitled Directory of United States Government periodicals and subscription publications; September issue includes List of depository libraries; June and December issues include semiannual index

The development of advanced composites, tion. Forecasts indicate that the potential spanning a brief period from inception to usage in automobiles in the early 1990's will application of only 15 to 20 years, epitomizes amount to millions of pounds of advanced the rapidity with which a generation's change composites. in the state-of-the-art can take place. This is in We find ourselves in a peculiar position. marked contrast to past history, in which it The hardware capability is progressing so has usually required 25 years or more of rapidly that the knowledge and familiarity of research before a new structural material was the designer can hardly keep pace. We have an technologically ready. obligation now not just to mature this ad In the mid-1950's the U.S. Air Force identi vanced technology and its applications, but fied the promise for early application of a new also to communicate the state-of-the-art to the class of materials-advanced composites designer in a form in which it can be applied and established its feasibility by the fabrication readily to practical structures. I believe that of raw fiber with exceptional strength- and this book, Handbook of Composites, will modulus-to-weight ratios. The practical fabrica clearly provide a portion of this missing link.

The combined effects of oxidising media and heat result in degradation by thermo-oxidation. The principles and cases described in this review emphasise long term degradation in service. Two additional phenomena that influence thermo-oxidation are also described: catalysis by certain metal ions, and the influence of stress. An additional indexed section containing several hundred abstracts from the Polymer Library gives useful references for further reading.