Glass fibre polyester composite with in vivo vascular channel for use in self-healing

The embedment of adhesive-filled hollow glass fibres (HGF) has been reported as a way of combating micro-crack development in fibre-reinforced polymer (FRP) structures. However, hollow fibres can critically undermine the effectiveness of self-healing systems and have been reported to be a potential impediment to the healing agent flow path. On the other hand, attempting to use non-hollow vascular systems in higher dimensions has largely been restricted to bulk polymers that lack reinforcing fibres. This paper investigates an alternative technique where a simple two-dimensional (2D) network of hollow channels is created within a glass-fibre-reinforced polyester-composite structure. The network is created using a fugitive preforming material at the ply level of interest, similar to a direct ink writing procedure. The temporary structure is extracted as a part of the curing and post-curing processes. The channels formed are used to deliver cyanoacrylate adhesive (CA) to areas that have been damaged under a flexural three-point bending test. Subsequent post-repair mechanical testing, under the same mode, evaluates the success of the repair process. The results show good recovery of the stiffness, a paramount mechanical property, and indicate how the grade of the repairing agent used influences the recovered loading strength of the FRP samples.