University Of California, Berkeley
Department of Mechanical Engineering
ME 127 – Introduction to Composite Materials (3 units)
Undergraduate Elective
Syllabus
CATALOG DESCRIPTION
Imagine a material that offers mechanical properties that are competitive with aluminum and steel but are at
fractions of their weight – these materials are termed as composites. Composites are defined as materials
composed of two or more constituents with significantly different physical or chemical properties that, when
combined, produce a new material with characteristics different from the individual components. Composite
materials are used for many applications such as spacecrafts, aircrafts, racing car bodies, and many others for
their capability to be stronger, lighter, and cheaper when compared to traditional materials. In this class, students
will delve into the theory and micromechanics on how to design composite structures, processing techniques on
how to manufacture them, and structural testing methods for validation. Starting from traditional composite
materials (such as fiber-reinforced), this course will also bring in concepts of new composite designs inspired by
nature (bioinspired) and developed by algorithms (using artificial intelligence). At the same time, students will
gain exposure to a broad range of composite applications with seminars and hands-on experience on actually
designing, fabricating, and experimentally testing a composite component using advanced computation and
additive manufacturing with a final project.
COURSE PREREQUISITES
ME C85/CE C30 or equivalent course in mechanics of materials;
TEXTBOOK(S) AND/OR OTHER REQUIRED MATERIAL
Title: An Introduction to Composite Materials, Authors: D. Hull and T.W. Clyne
Title: Principles of Composite Material Mechanics, Author: Ronald Gibson
COURSE OBJECTIVES
The course objectives are to train students to be able to design composite structures, select composite materials,
conduct stress analyses of selected practical applications using laminated plate theories and appropriate strength
criteria, and be familiar with the properties and response of composite structures subjected to mechanical loading
under static and cyclic conditions.
DESIRED COURSE OUTCOMES
Students completing this course will have the facility for designing robust composite structures subjected to
various types of loads. Students will also be able to assess the effects of long-term loading, including damage
generation, delamination fracture and fatigue failure. Additionally, students will be exposed to how composites
are used in various applications in aerospace, biomedical, sports, among other fields.
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TOPICS COVERED
Composite applications; fiber and matrix materials; processing, manufacturing, and testing; bioinspired
composites; laminated plate theory; failure criterion; micromechanics; damage; fatigue; design and modeling of
composites; nanocomposites
CLASS/LABORATORY SCHEDULE
Three hours of lecture per week.
COURSE SUPPORT
20-hour GSI and a 10-hour reader support for this course.
RELATIONSHIP OF THE COURSE TO ABET PROGRAM OUTCOMES
(a) an ability to apply knowledge of mathematics, science, and engineering
(b) an ability to design and conduct experiments, as well as to analyze and interpret data
(c) an ability to design a system, component, or process to meet desired needs within realistic constraints such
as economic, environmental, social, political, ethical, health and safety, manufacturability, and sustainability
(d) an ability to function on multi-disciplinary teams
(e) an ability to identify, formulate, and solve engineering problems
(f) an understanding of professional and ethical responsibility
(g) an ability to communicate effectively
(h) the broad education necessary to understand the impact of engineering solutions in a global, economic,
environmental, and societal context
(i) a recognition of the need for, and an ability to engage in life-long learning
(j) a knowledge of contemporary issues
(k) an ability to use the techniques, skills, and modern engineering tools necessary for engineering practice.
ASSESSMENT OF STUDENT PROGRESS TOWARD COURSE OBJECTIVES
20%: Homework assignments
40%: 2 midterm exams
40%: Final project
SAMPLE OF WEEKLY AGENDA
Week 1 Introduction to composites
Week 2 Fiber and matrix materials
Week 3 Processing, manufacturing, and testing
Week 4 Bioinspired composites
Week 5 Analysis of a lamina
Week 6 Laminated plate theory
Week 7 Failure criterion
Week 8 Composite micromechanics
Week 9 Damage in composites
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Week 10 Fatigue of composite materials
Week 11 Composite design, modeling, and optimization
Week 12 Nanocomposites
Week 13 Project presentations
Week 14 Applications in aerospace, biomedical, sports, among other fields
Week 15 RRR
Week 16 Final Week
ADDITIONAL COMMENTS/CONCERNS
PERSON(S) WHO PREPARED THIS DESCRIPTION
Grace Gu October 5, 2019
DETAILED WEEKLY SCHEDULE OF TOPICS
Introduction to composites (definition, applications)
Week 1
Reading: Gibson Chapter 1
Fiber and matrix materials (carbon fiber, glass fiber)
Week 2
Reading: D. Hull and T.W. Clyne Chapter 1 and 2
Processing, manufacturing, and testing (open molding, additive manufacturing)
Week 3
Reading: Gibson Chapter 10
Bioinspired composites (seashells, bone, teeth, bamboo composites)
Week 4 Reading: Yang et al., Recent progress in biomimetic additive manufacturing technology:
From materials to functional structures, Advanced Materials, 2018
Analysis of a lamina (introduction)
Week 5
Reading: Gibson Chapter 2
Laminated plate theory (isotropic, anisotropic)
Week 6
Reading: Gibson Chapter 3 and 4
Failure criterion (max stress/strain, Tsai-Hill criterion, von Mises)
Week 7 Reading: Groenwold et al., Optimization with non-homogeneous failure criteria like Tsai-
Wu for composite laminates, Structural and Multidisciplinary Optimization, 2006
Composite micromechanics
Week 8
Reading: Gibson Chapter 7
Damage in composites (matrix cracking, delamination, fiber pullout)
Week 9
Reading: Gibson Chapter 9
Fatigue of composite materials
Week 10 Reading: Degrieck et al., Fatigue damage modeling of fiber-reinforced composite
materials: Review, Applied Mechanics Review, 2001
Composite design, modeling, and optimization (methods of modeling using Ansys)
Week 11 Reading: Li et al., Global convergence of splitting methods for nonconvex composite
optimization, SIAM Journal on Optimization, 2015
Nanocomposites (modeling, testing, examples)
Week 12 Reading: R Young et al., The mechanics of graphene nanocomposites: A review,
Composites Science and Technology, 2012
Week 13 Project presentations
Week 14 Applications in aerospace, biomedical, sports, among other fields
Week 15 RRR
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Week 16 Final Week
ABBREVIATED TRANSCRIPT TITLE (19 SPACES MAXIMUM): [ss completes]
TIE CODE: [ss completes]
GRADING: Letter
SEMESTER OFFERED: Fall and Spring
COURSES THAT WILL RESTRICT CREDIT: None
INSTRUCTORS: Gu
DURATION OF COURSE: 15 Weeks
EST. TOTAL NUMBER OF REQUIRED HRS OF STUDENT WORK PER WEEK: Varies
IS COURSE REPEATABLE FOR CREDIT? No
CROSSLIST: None
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