Hybrid fibre composite (source code)

= Hybrid fibre composite

A <hybrid fibre composite> contains two or more types of reinforcing fibre in a common <composite matrix>. Combining <carbon fibres> and <glass fibres>, for example, provides another design choice besides changing the amount or orientation of a single reinforcement. The word hybrid specifies the combination of reinforcements, not a guarantee that every mechanical property improves.

For continuous, parallel fibres, perfect bonding and elastic axial loading, equal <strain> gives the extension of the <longitudinal rule of mixtures>
$$
E_L=V_1E_1+V_2E_2+V_mE_m,\qquad V_1+V_2+V_m=1.
$$
Here the $V_i$ are constituent fractions by <volume> and the $E_i$ are axial <Young's moduli>. This estimate describes the initial elastic response. It does not by itself predict <tensile strength>: when one fibre population breaks, its load is redistributed through the <composite matrix>, changing the <stress> carried by the surviving population.