Experimental investigation on the smart self-healing composites based on the short hollow glass fibers and shape memory alloy strips

In the present study, self-healing composites based on randomly oriented short hollow glass fibers and shape memory alloy (SMA) strips are investigated. Charpy impact tests were conducted to determine the healing efficiency of the specimens. The obtained results showed that an efficient healing process occurs after 7 days from the initial damage. According to the results, the presence of embedded SMA strips caused enhancement in the healing efficiency of the composites due to induced recovery force in the SMA, which leads to crack closure in the specimens. The healing efficiency of composites were calculated to be 36%, 49%, 55%, and 34% for the specimens without embedded SMA strips, and with 0%, 2%, and 4% pre-strain SMA strips, respectively. According to the results, the healing efficiency of the specimens is affected significantly by the interfacial shear strength between the SMA strips and the glass fibers/epoxy composites. In this regards, the results showed that using 2% pre-strained strip in the composites resulted in the highest healing efficiency. POLYM. COMPOS., 40:1883-1889, 2019. (c) 2018 Society of Plastics Engineers