Wiktionary
n. Any engineered material composed of two radically different materials in a tightly bonded matrix and having properties significantly different from either constituent
WordNet
n. strong lightweight material developed in the laboratory; fibers of more than one kind are bonded together chemically
Wikipedia
A composite material (also called a composition material or shortened to composite which is the common name) is a material made from two or more constituent materials with significantly different physical or chemical properties that, when combined, produce a material with characteristics different from the individual components. The individual components remain separate and distinct within the finished structure. The new material may be preferred for many reasons: common examples include materials which are stronger, lighter, or less expensive when compared to traditional materials. More recently, researchers have also begun to actively include sensing, actuation, computation and communication into composites, which are known as Robotic Materials.
Typical engineered composite materials include:
- mortars, concrete
- Reinforced plastics, such as fiber-reinforced polymer
- Metal composites
- Ceramic composites ( composite ceramic and metal matrices)
Composite materials are generally used for buildings, bridges, and structures such as boat hulls, swimming pool panels, race car bodies, shower stalls, bathtubs, storage tanks, imitation granite and cultured marble sinks and countertops. The most advanced examples perform routinely on spacecraft and aircraft in demanding environments.
Usage examples of "composite material".
What little the man could see of his dark opponent in the dim light suggested that its head and body and arms were made of some composite material.
It stood there staring at them, its mouth still working, arms splayed wide and flattened tightly against the composite material of the bulwark.
The two humans fired again, but since the counter was constructed of composite material designed to only look like wood, holes appeared in its front, but the shots did not penetrate.
It struck the composite material of the probe's side with an echoing dunk.
It struck the composite material of the probe's side with an echoing clunk.
The more immediate uses of such exotic inventions point to a rough-and-ready composite material which can have thin fibers and yet conduct electricity.
Honshu's scope was a dull cream of a composite material, slightly longer at the front, with a blunt rear end that she knew sleekly enclosed the 620-millimeter reflecting mirror.
Honshu's scope was a dull cream of a composite material, slightly longer at the front, with a blunt rear end that she knew sleekly enclosed the 620-millimeter re.
That was when she reached back into the Bronco, came out with a powerful bow made of some dark composite material, notched an arrow before I could speak again, and let fly.
Inside they found nothing but an aircraft skeleton, roughly resembling the Metyor- 179 bomber, with several large pieces of composite material, wiring, and engine parts scattered around the polished floor.