Modern composite materials offer structural engineers and architects exciting new opportunities for all types of buildings and structures. As well as being light weight with excellent corrosion resistance, composite structures can be disigned with improved properties compared to conventional structural materials, such as enhanced toughness and thermal properties, and with the possibility of producing optimum memebers depending on the structural requirements. Composite materials have not yet found widespread application in construction. This is partly because many engineers do not have the necessary background expertise to take advantage of the properties and behaviour of composites. Composite Structures for Civil and Architectural Engineering provides the first comprehensive guide for engineers which will enable them to design composite structures with confidence. It integrates current knowledge on composites, bringing together information from various disciplines, such as materials science and aeronautical engineering, where composites are more widely used. The book gives thorough explanations of the mechanics of the structural concepts/forms best suited for advanced composites and presents simplified but exact methods of analysis for typical laminate orientations suitable for use in construction. It links the underlying mathematical theory to practical design. Each chapter reviews the state-of the-art on the topic and identifies future directions for research and development. Extensive references to further information sources are given.
