3. Properties

3.1 Main strengths and weaknesses

Composites are corrosion-resistant, and their chemical inertness can generally be relied upon.

In automotive bodywork, complex parts easily obtained by molding can replace a large number of metal parts assembled by welding.

They can be colored in the mass, coated with a gel coat for contact, spray or centrifugal molded parts, or with an in-mold coating for those manufactured in a closed mold. They can also be painted.

The reinforcement can be oriented according to the stress field to be applied to the object.

Relatively low densities lead to high stiffnesses and specific strengths.

A comparison of the different composites shows the...