Integrated Damage Sensing in Fibre-Reinforced Composites with Extremely Low Carbon Nanotube Loadings

Abstract

A nanoengineered hybrid composite system has been developed, with integrated damage sensing capabilities at extremely low carbon nanotube (CNT) contents. The employed simple spray coating technique offers good spatial control and the possibility of localized CNT deposition, especially near the fibre/matrix interface, solving traditional problems associated with the incorporation of nanofillers in fibre-reinforced composite laminates such as increased resin viscosity and filtering effects. Moreover, the employed spraying technology has good potential for industrial scale-up.In situdamage sensing based on standard composite tests has been demonstrated for the first time on hybrid glass fibre/CNT composites using extremely low CNT loadings (below 0.1 wt.%) and shows great potential for localized structural health monitoring by controlled CNT deposition into damage prone zones.