• B., Patel P.
• Lee, J.
• L., Wardle B.
• F., Cooper M.
• G., Abaimov S.
• S., Akhatov I.
• V., Lomov S.
• H., Acauan L.
• Furtado, C.

Abstract

For aerospace vehicles, where weight reduction is important, studies have been performed on composites to include different functionalities besides their primary structural function. Some of these functionalities include energy savings, self-health monitoring, ice protection system, and self-curing sensing capabilities, and have been demonstrated individually in carbon fiber reinforced polymer composites. Nano-engineering techniques enable integrating these functionalities in composite systems to add multifunctionalities with insignificant changes in dimension or weight of the composite system, while ensuring that the mechanical properties such as strength are maintained or enhanced. Here, glass fiber reinforced polymer composites are nanoengineered to add multiple multifunctionalities concurrently via hierarchical assemblies of vertically aligned carbon nanotubes. In this preliminary study, the nanoengineering of the composite suggests life-cycle enhancements via an increase in interlaminar shear strength.

Topics

• impedance spectroscopy
• polymer
• Carbon
• nanotube
• glass
• glass
• strength
• composite
• curing
• aligned