How and why composite materials work

How long have we been using composite materials?

The earliest composite materials known were made from straw and mud combined to form bricks for building construction. Ancient brick-making was documented by Egyptian tomb paintings.

Wattle and daub is one of the oldest composite materials, at over 6000 years old. Wattle and daub is a composite building method used for making walls and buildings, in which a woven lattice of wooden strips called wattle is daubed with a sticky material usually made of some combination of wet soil, clay, sand, animal dung and straw.

Wattle and daub has been used for at least 6,000 years and is still an important construction method in many parts of the world. Many historic buildings include wattle and daub construction, and the technique is becoming popular again in more developed areas as a low-impact sustainable building technique.

Plywood was used by the Ancient Mesopotamians in 3400 BC for gluing wood at different angles gives better properties than natural wood.

What is the most common composite building material used today?

1. Concrete is also a composite building material, and is used more than any other synthetic material in the world. As of 2006, about 7.5 billion cubic metres of concrete are made each year which is more than one cubic metre for every person on Earth.

Typically it consists of loose stones (aggregate) held with a matrix of cement.

Concrete is an inexpensive material, and will not compress or shatter even under quite a large compressive force. However, concrete cannot survive tensile loading (i.e., if stretched it will quickly break apart).

Therefore, to give concrete the ability to resist being stretched, steel bars which can resist high stretching forces, are often added to concrete to form reinforced concrete.

2. Another common building composite which we are all aware of is fibreglass, in which small glass fibre are embedded within a polymeric material (normally an epoxy or polyester).

The glass fibre is relatively strong and stiff (but also brittle), whereas the polymer is ductile (but also weak and flexible).

Thus the resulting fibreglass is relatively stiff, strong, flexible, and ductile.

3. Wood is a naturally occurring composite comprising cellulose fibre in a lignin and hemicelluloses matrix. Engineered wood includes a wide variety of different products such as wood fibre board, plywood, oriented strand board, wood plastic composite which is recycled wood fibre. 

What are composite materials made from?

Composite materials are created from a mixture of individual materials. These individual materials are known as constituent materials, and there are two main categories of it. One is the matrix (binder) and the other reinforcement.

A portion of each kind is needed at least. The reinforcement receives support from the matrix as the matrix surrounds the reinforcement and maintains its relative positions.

The properties of the matrix are improved as the reinforcements impart their exceptional physical and mechanical properties. The mechanical properties become unavailable from the individual constituent materials by synergism.

At the same time, the designer of the product or structure receives options to choose an optimum combination from the variety of matrix and strengthening materials.

How do wood plastic composite materials work?

Teckwood’s wood plastic composite building materials are expertly extruded from a mixture two materials that have quite different properties. These being recycled plastics and FSC certified wood fibres. 

The component parts are bonded together under high pressure to create an incredibly durable finished product that is designed to outlast traditional timber.

The sustainable building solution offers greater protection both from rain and the sun’s UV rays, without the need to treat it. It will not crack, split, splinter, go mouldy or rot over time. It does not need to be painted, stained or sealed.  

Using additives you can create a European Class B fire rated decking and cladding which is particularly well suited for use in the commercial sector where ongoing maintenance of traditional building materials can be costly.

Teckwood’s cladding and decking systems are guaranteed for 25 years.

Key among them is the corrosion resistance, design flexibility and durability.

Composites resist damage from weather and harsh chemicals that can eat away at other materials. They are very durable. Simply put, composites last!

For further information please contact our sales experts on 0800 799 9082 or by email at info@teckwood.co.uk