Thick Composites: Materials and Structures
A special issue of Materials (ISSN 1996-1944). This special issue belongs to the section "Advanced Composites".
Deadline for manuscript submissions: 20 August 2026
Special Issue Editors
Interests: fibre-reinforced composites; composites engineering; composite design; composite manufacture; life cycle assessment; mechanical testing; resin infusion; resin transfer moulding; natural fibre; polymer chemistry
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Interests: composite materials; sustainability; composite recycling; composite structures; composite manufacturing; finite element modelling; material characterisation; destructive and non-destructive mechanical testing; microscopy
Special Issue Information
Dear Colleagues,
The field of composite materials has matured significantly over the past few decades, enabling lightweight and high-performance solutions across the aerospace, renewable energy, marine, and defense sectors. However, as the demand for larger and more integrated load-bearing structures grows, the industry faces a distinct and complex frontier: thick-section composites. We are pleased to announce a Special Issue titled "Thick Composites: Materials and Structures," dedicated to exploring the unique mechanical, manufacturing, and design challenges associated with increasing laminate thickness.
Scope and Motivation:
Thick composites differ fundamentally from their thin-walled counterparts. The transition from plane stress to three-dimensional stress states introduces significant complexity in failure prediction and structural analysis. Furthermore, the manufacturing of thick sections presents severe difficulties regarding thermal management, consolidation, and quality assurance. This Special Issue aims to consolidate the latest research addressing these critical hurdles to facilitate the next generation of heavy-duty composite structures.
We invite researchers and engineers to submit original research papers, comprehensive reviews, and short communications. The scope of this issue is broad yet focused on the "thickness effect." Key areas of interest include, but are not limited to the following:
Manufacturing Science: Strategies for managing exothermic reactions during the cure of thick thermoset parts, minimizing residual stresses, and controlling process-induced deformations. We also welcome studies on novel out-of-autoclave (OOA) techniques, automated fiber placement (AFP) for thick parts, and thermoplastic consolidation.
Three-dimensional Stress Analysis & Failure Criteria: Advanced analytical and numerical models that account for significant through-thickness stresses. Topics of interest include delamination migration, transverse shear failure, and the limitations of classical laminate theory in thick regimes.
Material Characterization: Experimental techniques designed to characterize through-thickness properties (e.g., interlaminar tension and shear) and size effects in fatigue and fracture mechanics.
Non-Destructive Testing (NDT) & SHM: Innovations in inspecting thick sections where attenuation and depth resolution are problematic. Research on ultrasonic testing, thermography, and embedded sensors for Structural Health Monitoring (SHM) in deep laminates is highly encouraged.
Impact and Blast Resistance: The dynamic response of thick composite armor and structural protection systems.
Significance:
Understanding thick composites is essential for scaling up applications such as wind turbine root sections, deep-submersible pressure hulls, and primary aircraft wing boxes. By bridging the gap between material processing and structural performance, this collection will serve as a vital reference for academia and industry alike.
Prof. Dr. John Summerscales
Guest Editor
Dr. Indraneel Roy Chowdhury
Guest Editor Assistant
Manuscript Submission Information
Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 250 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for assessment.
Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Materials is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.
Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2600 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.
Keywords
- thick-section composites
- 3D stress analysis
- delamination
- cure-induced residual stresses
- fibre-reinforced composites
- out-of-autoclave manufacturing
- multiscale modelling
- structural integrity
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