Mechanical Behaviour of Reinforced Thermosetting Polymers with Fibers: Analytical/Numerical Models and Experimental Evidence

Dear Colleagues,

Recent manufacturing advancements have led to the manufacture of reinforced polymeric composites with the incorporation of natural and inorganic fillers into thermoplastic or thermosetting polymeric matrices. This kind of reinforced material can replace common materials used for example in construction. As it is known, the production of construction materials has been under pressure from public opinion for some decades because of the high level of CO₂ emissions associated with this activity. As a consequence, the governmental authorities have been taking some practical measures to make the industry more eco-friendly. For instance, the 2015 Paris Agreement on climate change imposed on the construction industry a reduction in CO₂ emissions by 2030. This pressure really forces this industry to intensify the search for new alternative production technologies and materials. Obviously, eco-friendly materials must be also considered as an alternative route of the entire road map to low-emission construction production. For this, reinforced polymeric composites continue to replace traditional materials like steel and aluminum. Concerning the new types of polymeric composites to use in automotive to biomedical fields, almost all of the published works are focused on the development of the reinforced material itself, including the obtained experimental results of thermal and mechanical properties. However, studies proposing reliable analytical or numerical models to forecast the behavior of such materials are still needed. Therefore, the editors of this Special Issue want to group a high number of studies that focuses mainly on the analytical/numerical models, including experimental evidence, to predict the effects of the incorporation of natural and inorganic fillers into thermoplastic or thermosetting polymeric matrices, in order to manufacture reinforced polymeric composites able to replace traditional materials.

Dr. Deesy Gomes Pinto 
Dr. Ana Martins Amaro
Dr. Luís Filipe Almeida Bernardo
Guest Editors

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