MATERIALS SUBSTITUTION IS A DYNAMIC, HIGHLY COMPETITIVE PROCESS WHICH TYPICALLY OCCURS OVER A SEVERAL YEAR TIME PERIOD. THIS PAPER EXPLORES A SIMPLE MODEL OF THE SUBSTITUTION PROCESS AND ITS APPLICATION TO SEVERAL HISTORICAL EXAMPLES IN THE FIBER COMPOSITES INDUSTRY. SOME OBSERVATIONS ARE MADE ABOUT HOW THE NATURE OF COMPETITIVE ARENA FOR MATERIAL SUBSTITUTION IS CHANGING IN THE 1990S.
