Laminates
- Laminates are composite materials in which two or more layers of material are bonded together.
- The strengths in doing this is the combination of the material's Strength or surface properties.
Common applications
- Laminated glass
- This is two pieces of glass bonded together with a layer of transparent vinyl in between.
- It is manufactured by making the sandwhich and then heating it to above 100 degrees under high pressure
- The high pressure removes any air bubbles that may form.
- Afterwards it is slowly cooled to prevent cracking.
- This is done for additional strength and to prevent glass from shattering.
- It does not shatter as the vinyl holds the pieces of glass together, and will form a "spiderweb" cracking effect.
- It is commonly used in car windshields and windows as "safety glass."
- Also, the laminated glass insulates noise levels up to 15%, making it good for this application.
- Plywood
- This is made from an odd number of thin slices of timber are glued so that each slice's grainflow is perpendicular to the one below it.
- This is done to overcome timber's weaknesses due to its directional properties.
- This is commonly used for cheap applications of timber, such as in formwork.
- An alternate version is a board made from ground woodchip pulp known as a fibreboard
- It is easier to shape and has superior sound insulating properties.
- Formica
- This is a laminate of several layers of paper and melamine formaldehyde resin.
- Melamine formaldehyde is a thermosetting plastic that is relatively heat resistant
- However it cannot be used in microwaves as the radiation breaks it apart.
- Its lamination with paper makes its surface smooth and easy to clean.
- The result is a plastic with a hard, durable surface.
- As a result, most use it in tables, floorboards and other furniture surfaces.
- Bi-Metallic Strips
- These are strips consisted of two metals with different thermal expansion properties.
- This means that, as it is heated, it will deflect.
- As a result, it is a good safety precaution as a fuse in protection circuits and thermostats.
page revision: 2, last edited: 04 Oct 2011 09:07