Full-wave model and numerical study of electromagnetic plane-wave scattering by multilayered, fiber-based periodic composites

Advanced composite materials are widely applied in aerospace, naval and automotive industries particularly due to their light weight, high stiffness and resistance to corrosion. The building block of the material is a composite slab composed of two parts, matrix and reinforcement. The reinforcement, such as graphite or glass fibers, is embedded inside the background matrix and periodically arranged while the matrix, such as epoxy, binds the reinforcement together. All fibers inside are then orientated into the same direction. Stacking up single layers yields multi-layer composite laminates, the orientations of the fibers in different layers usually differing from one to the other in order to provide strength and stiffness in all directions (C. Alexander et al., Journal of Applied Physics, 114, 2013, 1 – 10).