Composite Materials & Structures

University-grade composite science — fiber/matrix systems, lamina mechanics, laminates, interfaces, failure and damage, and manufacturing.

Private cohorts & on-site
Format: 3-day (8:30 a.m.–4:30 p.m.)
Level: Intermediate
Location: Scheduled on demand · on-site at your facility or a regional venue
Date(s): Not yet scheduled for open enrollment. Get notified when it is, or book it privately for your team.
Includes: Certificate of Completion · printed slide binder · take-home reference text

Get notified when this course is scheduled

One email when dates are set. Or skip the wait: run it as a private cohort, on-site at your plant.

Talk to us about a private cohort
  • One email, no sequence
  • Never shared
  • Reply within one business day

Faculty

Faculty details for this seminar will be announced with the full schedule.

Fees

Early: $1,895 (payment 4+ weeks ahead)
Standard: $2,095 (check/ACH) · $2,165 (card)

Group discount: $200 off per attendee for 3+ from the same organization.

Also Available

  • Corporate on-site delivery at your facility
  • Private cohort sessions
  • Digital curriculum licensing

Seminar Overview

University-level composite science translated for working engineers. Taught by the founding director of the MSU Composite Materials and Structures Center, this seminar covers fiber and matrix systems, the mechanics of continuous and discontinuous fiber composites, interfaces and adhesion, and the design of structural composite parts. It is the academic backbone that makes ETS's composites and lightweighting offerings credible — delivered with the rigor of a graduate course and the practical focus of industrial training.

Ideal Learner

  • Structural engineers moving into composite design
  • Materials engineers at molders transitioning to CFRP/glass systems
  • Product engineers designing lightweight composite components
  • R&D groups exploring composite architecture
  • Engineering managers building composite capability

Learning Objectives

  • Select fiber and matrix systems for a given structural application
  • Apply the mechanics of lamina and laminate to estimate composite performance
  • Understand the fiber/matrix interface and its role in composite properties
  • Design for manufacturing of continuous and discontinuous fiber parts
  • Model and validate composite component stiffness, strength, and failure

Consulting Sessions

Seminar attendees can sign up for individual consulting sessions with the instructor. Sessions are free for registered attendees, first-come first-served — sign up when registering by calling 248-539-0473 or during the seminar.

Seminar Outline

  • Carbon, glass, aramid, natural fibers: properties and trade-offs
  • Thermoset and thermoplastic matrices: processing and performance
  • Fiber volume fraction, void content, and property control
  • Rule of mixtures and load-transfer fundamentals
  • Lamina stiffness and strength from fiber/matrix properties
  • The fiber/matrix interface and interphase control
  • Classical lamination theory overview
  • Orientation effects: 0/90/±45 stacking
  • Symmetry and coupling for design
  • First-ply failure, fracture, and delamination
  • Impact damage and damage tolerance
  • Long-term behavior: fatigue, creep, environmental degradation
  • Layup, compression molding, RTM, pultrusion, filament winding
  • Automated fiber placement and additive routes
  • Joining composites: adhesive, mechanical, hybrid
  • Designing and analyzing a composite structure
  • Balancing performance, manufacturability, and cost
  • Validation and defect control in production

More in Track B — Composites & Lightweighting

Full Course Catalog