A thorough and understandable guide to the properties and design of structural composites. It derives from the author's many years of experience of research, industrial development and teaching.

In the late 1990s composite materials offer structural engineers and architects exciting opportunities for all types of buildings and structures. As well as being light weight with excellent corrosion resistance, composite structures can be designed with improved properties compared to conventional structural materials, such as enhanced toughness and thermal properties. Composite materials have not yet found widespread application in construction. This is partly because many engineers do not have the necessary background expertise to take advantage of the properties and behaviour of composites. This text provides a comprehensive guide for engineers which will enable them to design composite structures with confidence. It integrates current knowledge on composites, bringing together information from various disciplines, such as materials science and aeronautical engineering, where composites are more widely used. The book gives thorough explanations of the mechanics of the structural concepts/forms best suited for advanced composites and presents simplified but exact methods of analysis for typical laminate orientations suitable for use in construction. It links the underlying mathe