Abstract
Fiber reinforced thermosetting resin composites have played an important role as engineering materials. Whereas properties of the composites are determined by raw materials, lay-up design and manufacturing process, contribution of the raw materials is presented in this article, especially focusing on the reinforcement fibers. With carbon fiber reinforced composites (CFRP), longitudinal tensile properties of CFRP are splendid because of very high elastic modulus and very high strength of carbon fibers, but properties for transverse direction, inter-layer and compression are not so good because matrix resin dominates them. One of drawbacks which have been required to be improved in CFRP as aircraft materials is poor impact resistance; research from the point of increasing resin toughness is under way. Cost of the composites relates to processability at fabrication and reproducibility of the products, witch depend primarily on the resin. Development of novel thermosetting resin of easy-to-process and easy-to-provide stable products is requested as well as of higher performances.
