Many composite materials are used to provide strength and rigidity while using thinner, lighter components, but they are also being developed for their ability to provide specific combinations of properties and functions. The SEP booklet ‘Composites: designing materials for the future’ provides an overview of some of the types, properties and uses of composite materials, together with suggestions for how the ideas could be introduced in the classroom.
See below for the practical resources that have been identified and developed specifically for use with the activities in this booklet.
Further resources can be downloaded from the ‘Composites’ page on the SEP website, including an electronic version of the booklet. (Access is for SEP Teacher Associates - this scheme is free to join for science teachers and technicians in UK secondary schools.)