**5.8 Energy**

Composite materials allow architects to create designs that are impractical or impossible with traditional materials, improve thermal performance and energy efficiency of building materials, and meet building code requirements. Composite materials also offer design flexibility and can be moulded into complex shapes. They can be corrugated, curved, ribbed, or contoured in a variety of ways with varying thickness. Further, a traditional look such as copper, chrome or gold, marble, and stone can be achieved at a fraction of the cost using composite materials. Therefore, the architecture community is experiencing substantial growth in the understand-

*Composite and Nanocomposite Materials - From Knowledge to Industrial Applications*

ing and use of composites in commercial and residential buildings [15].

The automotive industry is no stranger to composites. This is one of the largest markets for composite materials. Weight reduction is the greatest advantage of composite material usage. A lower-weight vehicle or truck is more fuel-efficient because it requires less fuel to propel itself forward. In addition to enabling ground breaking vehicle designs, composites help make vehicles lighter and more fuel efficient. The composite materials are used in bearing materials, bodies, connecting rod, crankshafts, cylinder, engines, piston, etc. While fibre-reinforced polymers such as CFRP in cars get most of the attention, composites also play a big role in increasing fuel efficiency in trucks and transport systems. A number of US state Departments of Transportation are also using composite to reinforce the bridges

Construction is one of the largest markets for composites globally. The compos-

Products made from composite materials provide long-term resistance to severe

With the rapid growth of the electronics industry, and with strong dielectric properties including arc and track resistance, the composite materials are finding more and more in electronic applications. With strong dielectric properties

chemical conditions and temperature environments. Composites are often the material of choice for applications in chemical handling applications, corrosive environments, outdoor exposure, and other severe environments such as chemical processing plants, oil and gas refineries, pulp and paper converting, and water treatment facilities. Common applications include cabinets, ducts, fans, grating, hoods, pumps, and tanks [3, 37, 73]. Fibre-reinforced polymer composite pipes are used for everything from sewer upgrades and wastewater projects to desalination, oil, and gas applications. When corrosion becomes a problem with pipes made with

traditional materials, fibre-reinforced polymer is a solution [3, 73].

ites can be made to have a very high strength and ideal construction materials. Thermoset composites are replacing many traditional materials for home and offices' architectural components including doors, fixtures, moulding, roofing, shower stalls, swimming pools, vanity sinks, wall panels, and window frames. Composites are used all over the world to help construct and repair a wide variety of infrastructure applications, from buildings and bridges to roads, railways, and

**5.4 Automotive and transportation**

those trucks travel on [3, 26, 37].

pilings [3, 74].

**5.7 Electrical**

**22**

**5.6 Corrosive environments**

**5.5 Construction and infrastructure**

Material technology has grown from the early days of glass fibres as major reinforcements for composite material to carbon fibres which are lighter and stronger. The advancements in composites, particularly those from the US Department of Energy, are redefining the energy industry. Composites help enable the use of wind and solar power and improve the efficiency of traditional energy suppliers. Composite materials offer wind manufacturers strength and flexibility in processing with the added benefit of a lightweight components and products [3, 76]. The wind industry has set installation records over the last couple years. According to the Global Wind Energy Council, the trend for this industry may continue with global wind capacity predicted to double in the next few years. Composites play a vital role in the manufacture of structures such as wind turbine blades [3, 77].

#### **5.9 Marine**

Just like in the other engineering areas, the main struggle of naval architecture is to achieve a structure as light as possible. The marine industry uses composites to help make hulls lighter and more damage-resistant. With their corrosion resistance and light-weighting attributes, marine composite applications include boat hulls, bulkheads, deck, mast, propeller, and other components for military, commercial, and recreational boats and ships. Composites can be found in many more areas of a maritime vessel, including interior mouldings and furniture on super yachts [3, 78, 79].
