CARBON NANOSTRUCTURE INFUSED FIBER COMPOSITES FOR DAMAGE SENSING

Abstract

The ever-growing use of composite materials in critical structural applications has brought about a greater need to identify and quantify structural health and damage that occurs within composite structural elements. This work presents a novel approach for in-situ damage detection in composites using integral carbon nanostructure (CNS) infused glass fiber composite skins, which indicate damage through changes in electrical resistance. Ballistic damage experiments are used as a method to demonstrate the capability of the material to detect the presence, location, and severity of damage. Initial simulated ballistic damage testing is conducted using multiple standalone CNS infused glass fiber composite panels of different sizes and CNS loadings to show potential for scale-up and the effect of CNS content on damage sensitivity. Actual ballistic damage experiments are conducted on fiberglass panels with integral CNS infused glass fiber composite skins on front and back surfaces. Results of ballistic testing show evidence that the CNS material can be used for real-time sensing of the presence, location and severity of ballistic damage in the more realistic panel configuration and damage condition.