Sensing of Damage Mechanisms in Fiber-Reinforced Composites under Cyclic Loading using Carbon Nanotubes

The expanded use of advanced fiber-reinforced composites in structural applications has brought attention to the need to monitor the health of these structures. It has been established that adding carbon nanotubes to fiber-reinforced composites is a promising way to detect the formation of microscale damage. Because carbon nanotubes are three order of magnitude smaller than traditional advanced fibers, it is possible for nanotubes to form an electrically conductive network in the polymer matrix surrounding the fibers. In this work, multi-walled carbon nanotubes are dispersed into epoxy and infused into a glass-fiber preform to form a network of in situ sensors. The resistance of the cross-ply composite is measured in real-time during incremental cyclic tensile loading tests to evaluate the damage evolution and failure mechanisms in the composite. Edge replication is conducted to evaluate the crack density after each cycle, and optical microscopy is utilized to study the crack mode and growth. The evolution of damage can be clearly identified through the damaged resistance parameter. Through analyzing the damaged resistance response curves with measurements of transverse crack density and strain, the transition between different failure modes can be identified. It is demonstrated that the integration of an electrically conducting network of carbon nanotubes in a glass fiber composite adds unique damage- sensing functionality that can be utilized to track the nature and extent of microstructural damage in fiber composites.