Building knowledge about the interface in composite materials

In order to explore the current views of the interface community and to dev elop an understanding of the present state of play, research specialisation which studies knowledge development, has been applied to research variatio n in the community's ways of experiencing the 'interface' as a phenomenon i n composite materials. Ten leaders of the field were interviewed and the tr anscripts of those interviews collated and analysed. Four dimensions of var iation in the ways researchers view the interface were uncovered. It is fou nd that there is not even general agreement as to whether the interface is an object which can be measured, or an illusive concept. The resulting 'out come space' or 'collective consciousness' may lead to a broader understandi ng of the issues involved.