The papers contained herein were presented at the Fourth International Conference on Composite Structures (ICCS/4) held at Paisley College of Technology, Scotland in July 1987. The Conference was organised and sponsored by Paisley College of Technology. It was co-sponsored by the Scottish Development Agency, the National Engineering Laboratory, the US Air Force European Office of Aerospace Research and Development and the US Army Research, Development and Standardisation Group UK. It forms a natural and ongoing progression from the highly successful First, Second and Third International Conferences on Composite Structures (ICCS/l, ICCS/2 and ICCS/3) held at Paisley in 1981, 1983 and 1985 respectively. There is little doubt that composite materials are rightfully claiming a prominent role in structural engineering in the widest sense. Moreover, the range and variety of useful composites has expanded to a level inconceivable a decade ago. However, it is also true that this increasing utilisation has generated an enhanced awareness of the manifold factors which dictate the integrity of composite structures. This is indeed a healthy attitude to a relatively new dimension in structural engineering which will have an increasingly dominant role as the century progresses. Both the diversity of application of composites in structural engineering and the endeavours which will ensure their fitness for purpose are reflected herein.

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Plenary Paper.- Recent Advances in Dynamics of Composite Structures.- Damage Tolerance 1.- 1. Optimal Use of Adhesive Layers in Reducing Impact Damage in Composite Laminates.- 2. The Crush Performance of Composite Structures.- 3. An Experimental Investigation into Damage Propagation and its Effects Upon Dynamic Properties in CFRP Composite Material.- Damage Tolerance 2.- 4. The T*-integral and S Criteria for the Analysis of Impact Damage at Fastener Holes in Graphite/Epoxy Laminates under Compression.- Metal Matrix Composites.- 5. Strengthening Mechanisms in Discontinuous SiC/Al Composites.- 6. Considerations for Designing with Metal Matrix Composite Materials.- 7. The Mechanical Properties of Carbon Fibre Reinforced Zinc Base Alloy Composite.- Material Characteristics.- 8. The Boundary Between the Concepts of Material and Structure in the Plate and Shell Theories for Laminated Media.- 9. A Causal Approach to Effective Dynamic Moduli of Random Composites.- 10. The Effects of Combined Shear and Direct Loads on the Damping Behaviour of Unidirectional FRPs.- Failure Analysis.- 11. Effects of Shear Deformation on the Onset of Flexural Failure in Symmetric Cross-ply Laminated Rectangular Plates..- 12. Micromechanical Failure Analysis of Elliptic, Cross-ply Laminates under Flexural Loads.- 13. Failure Modes for Compression Loaded Angle-ply Plates with Holes.- Fabrication and Processing.- 14. Fabrication and Mechanical Properties of Hybrid Composites with Braiding Construction.- 15. Reprocessing of Carbon Fibre/PEEK Laminates.- 16. The Manufacture of Composite Aerofoil Section Models for Dynamic Wind Tunnel Tests.- 17..- Fracture Mechanics.- 18. An Energy Release Rate Approach for Free-edge Delamination Problem in Composite Laminates.- 19. Rate Effects on Delamination Fracture Toughness of Graphite/Epoxy Composites.- Experimental Studies.- 20. An Investigation of Experimental Methods for the Determination of Bearing Strength of CFRP Laminates.- 21. Errors Associated with the use of Strain Gages on Composite Materials.- 22. Shear Modulus Testing of Composites.- 23. Anisotropic Material Identification Using Measured Resonant Frequencies of Rectangular Composite Plates.- Orthopaedic Applications.- 24. Composite Materials for Use in Orthopaedic Applications: Fracture Behavior of Acrylic Bone Cement Reinforced with High Toughness Organic Fibers.- 25. Composite Materials For Bone Fracture Fixation.- Environmental Influences.- 26. The Effects of High Temperature Excursions on Environmentally Exposed CFC.- 27. Moisture Influence on Edge Delamination in Advanced Composite Structures Under Hot-wet Compression Loading.- Fatigue and Creep.- 28. Sliding Wear and Fretting Fatigue Performance of Polymer Composite Laminates.- Theoretical Studies.- 29. Kinematic Equations of Filament Winding on a Curved Tube and Winding Pattern Design.- 30. Thermo-mechanical Properties of Three-dimensional Fabric Composites.- 31. Stress Concentrations in Orthotropic Laminates Containing Two Elliptical Holes.- Index of Contributors.