Journal
COMPOSITE STRUCTURES
Volume 311, Issue -, Pages -Publisher
ELSEVIER SCI LTD
DOI: 10.1016/j.compstruct.2023.116845
Keywords
Crashworthiness; CFRP; Nanofibers; Rubber; Electrospinning; Specific energy absorption
Categories
Ask authors/readers for more resources
This study investigates the integration of rubbery nanofibers into composite laminates to improve crash performance. The results show that the nanofibers significantly increase the fracture toughness of the laminates and improve the energy absorption capacity by 8.2%.
Crashworthiness is the capability of a component to dissipate impact energy throughout its deformation and failure. Composite materials are used to produce crashworthy components to ensure vehicle safety, thanks to their ability to dissipate a high energy amount while maintaining a low weight. The present work investigates the integration of rubbery nanofibers within the laminate interlayers to enhance crush performance. Three different thicknesses (10, 20, and 40 mu m) of nanofibrous mats made by nitrile butadiene rubber and polycaprolactone (NBR/PCL) blends were produced by single-needle electrospinning technique and integrated into the laminates during the hand-layup. Mechanical properties of the nano-modified laminates are compared to the reference configuration: the effect of the interlayers is evaluated by Double Cantilever Beam (DCB) and End-Notched Flexure (ENF) interlaminar fracture tests. At the same time, the specific crush energy absorption (SEA) is measured by the compression of self-supporting corrugated specimens. Results show that NBR/PCL nanofibers significantly increase the interlaminar fracture toughness (up to +254% for Mode I and +47% for Mode II), which ultimately helps to improve the total SEA up to +8.2%. The best SEA enhancement is achieved already with a 10 mu m nanofibrous membrane while integrating the highest thickness mat has a detrimental effect.
Authors
I am an author on this paper
Click your name to claim this paper and add it to your profile.
Reviews
Recommended
No Data Available