Definitions /Dictionary/Glossary - nptel

Felt: a fibrous material made up of interlocking fibers by mechanical or chemical reaction,
pressure or heat. Felts may be made of cotton, glass, or other fibers.
Female Mold: A concave mold used to precisely define the convex surface of a molded part.
Fiber: A general term used to refer to filamentary materials. Often, fiber is used synonymously
with filament. It is a general term for a filament of finite length. This is a unit of matter, either
natural or man-made, which forms the basic element of fabrics and other textile structures.
Fiber Architecture: The design of a fibrous preform or part in which the fibers are arranged
(braided, stitched, woven, etc.) in a particular way in order to achieve the desired result.
Fiber Content: The amount of fiber present in a composite. This is usually expressed as a
percentage volume fraction or weight fraction of the composite.
Fiber Count: The number of fibers per unit width of ply present in a specified section of a
composite.
Fiber Diameter: The measurement (expressed in hundred-thousandths) of the diameter of
individual filaments.
Fiber Direction: The orientation or alignment of the longitudinal axis of the fiber with respect to
a stated reference axis.
Fiber Glass: Fibers similar to wool or cotton fibers, but made from glass; sometimes called
fibrous glass. Glass fiber forms include cloth, yarn, mat, milled fibers, chopped strands, roving,
woven roving.
Fibre Glass Reinforcement: Major material used to reinforce plastic. These are available as
mat, roving, fabric, etc. It is incorporated into both thermoset and thermoplastics.
Fiber Orientation: Fiber alignment in a non-woven or a mat laminate where the majority of
fibers are in the same direction, resulting in a higher strength in that direction.
Fibre Pattern: Visible fibres on the surface of laminates or molding.
Fiber Placement: A continuous process for fabricating composite shapes with complex contours
and/or cutouts by means of a device that lays pre-impregnated fibers (in tow form) onto a nonuniform
mandrel or tool. It differs from filament winding (below) in several ways: there is no
limit on fiber angles; compaction takes place on-line via heat, pressure, or both; and fibers can be
added and dropped as necessary. The process produces more complex shapes and permits a
faster put-down rate than filament winding.
Fiber Reinforced Plastics (FRP): Term used to designate mid-range, glass fiber reinforced
composites.