Dear Colleagues,

Composite materials, especially fiber-hardened materials, are a modern category of materials of particular interest to industry. These materials, with outstanding performance in terms of the high ratio of mechanical strength to specific gravity (specific strength) and in maintaining high values of mechanical strength at high temperatures, consist of a strong and rigid phase dispersed in the form of fibers aligned in a ductile matrix. Under the conditions of the existence of a fiber–matrix connection and of a correct choice of the fiber material and of the matrix, there is a transfer of the mechanical stresses from the matrix to the fibers; the composite shows a close mechanical strength to the fibers without showing their fragility. On this principle, composite materials with exceptional performance have been made, which find their industrial uses despite their sometimes very high price, due to the expensive technologies of obtaining: composites with glass fibers and carbon fibers incorporated in synthetic resins (used in the construction of submarines, car bodies, jet aircraft compressors); boron or silicon carbide composites in the aluminum matrix (helicopter blades, aircraft structural elements, etc.). However, the most important uses of composites are to be expected from research into the incorporation of ceramic fibers into a metal matrix resistant to oxidation at high temperatures. Another direction of the use of composite materials is the application of composite coatings which are currently being applied, with particularly good results, for repair without removing technological and transport pipelines from the operation, but can also be applied to any pressure vessel or tank, which has defects such as those encountered in the pipes.

The main problems to be avoided when using composite materials are the degradation due to cyclic loading and due to the corrosion phenomenon. The need to investigate experimentally and numerically the ways to increase the fatigue strength of composite materials is an objective of recent research. The use of finite element technology, duplicated and verified by experimental tests can lead to obtaining composites with a high fatigue resistance. The use of a modified polymer system with both flexibilizers and mineral fillers and the addition of small amounts of metal oxides to give the filler anti-corrosion properties, together with different types of fabrics can reduce the danger of corrosion to composite materials.

We are pleased to invite you to publish studies on increasing the fatigue and corrosion resistance of composite materials, especially used in various coatings used in the industry.

The aim of this Special Issue is to publish original research articles, critical reviews, as well as practical studies by industry experts, with the main objective of investigating the influence of fatigue and corrosion resistance on the load-bearing capacity of composite materials used in various industrial applications.

In this Special Issue, original research articles and reviews are welcome. Research areas may include (but are not limited to) the following:

• Theoretical and experimental research on the analysis of the interactive coupled system consisting of fiber and polymer;
• Novel methods and procedures for assessing the influence of the phenomenon of fatigue and corrosion on the operating behaviour of composite materials;
• Novel modern technologies for manufacturing composite materials;
• Trends in the use of composite materials in the repair of various equipment;
• Numerical analysis on the use of composite materials using the finite element method.

We look forward to receiving your contributions.

Dr. Alin Dinita
Dr. Marius Marinel Stanescu
Guest Editors

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 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

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. Coatings is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly 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.

• design of composite materials
• properties of composite materials
• degradation mechanisms
• fatigue analysis
• corrosion degradation