This book covers some aspects of the micromechanics and structural behaviour of laminated composites. Chapters 1 to 7 introduce the basics, including characterisation and response of composite materials. Analysis of composite beams is covered in Chapter 8 and comparison of thin plate theory with higher order deformation theories is presented in Chapter 9. Chapters 10 and 11 deal with short fibre composites and the optimisation of composite laminates for vibration, buckling and structural weight. Manufacturing techniques are covered in Chapter 12 and experimental characterisation of composite properties in Chapter 13.
The book is intended to serve the requirements of undergraduate and postgraduate courses, as well as practising engineers. Worked examples are provided and exercise problems are given at the end of each chapter.
Subjects such as micromechanics and laminate analysis are well covered but I am not sure that this book will add to those already available in composites. The presentation of higher order theory is interesting and illustrates the significance of through-thickness flexibility in laminated material. However, the observation is not backed up by consideration of through-thickness failure mechanisms and the example problems provided throughout the book are very specific, making it difficult to distil fundamental understanding of structural performance.
In my opinion, the book does not fulfil the requirements of the aerospace engineering community by addressing the challenges facing composite manufacturing at the current stage of its development. These challenges include a need for a broad understanding of finite element theories and modelling procedures for composites applied to complex 3D shapes with variable laminate thickness. They also include the influence of production rate and quality control on structural performance.
Although the presentation of theory is reasonably clear, the book contains some typographical and grammatical errors and the clarity of illustration, tabular data, and equations could be improved. Example problems are highly idealised and do not relate to realistic applications. This is particularly evident in the structural optimisation section for which laminate design rules and manufacturing constraints are completely ignored.
The book may be useful to some undergraduate programmes, but its usefulness in postgraduate and engineering practice may be limited.
