George Wheeler
Abstract
The Magic of Composite Materials: Composite materials such as fiberglass, carbon fiber, and Kevlar are now commonly used in conservation activities such as pinning and the shaping of woven fabric forms charged with epoxy resin adhesives in support systems. This TIPS session discusses some of the basic properties of the constituent materials and how their use in composites creates mechanical properties that are not just greater than the sum of their parts but indeed very different from the properties of the individual materials to great advantage for some uses in conservation.