Chemistry geniuses needed - Light weight things made strong?

Question

I have to do a PowerPoint Presentation on how light-weight things are made to be so strong.

Basically I am supposed to talk about plastic and fiber glass.

My teacher told me that airplanes are supposed to be light weight, and many of their wings are actually made from plastic. Though plastic is light weight engineers have been able to make it strong enough so that it can be used on planes.

Also I need info on how fiber glass, despite its light weight is so strong.

Can somebody give me some information that they know or useful links of sites that provide such information? I just need to be able to explain it, in a simple manner. Please remember that I am not even in college. How are they able to make such things?

Thanks

Answer 1

Fiberglass and similiar reenforced plastics are strong because they are made of a flexible, tough material like epoxy or acrylic resin, together with a strong stringy material like glass fibers. When glass is formed into long thin threads it is very strong in tension - and flexible ( You can pull on it very hard and it will not break). The resin is strong in compression., but not very flexible (You can push it very hard and it will resist large forces). Combine the too and you have a tough material that has the best attributes of both.