Polymer Nanofabric Interleaved Composite Laminates

The concept of electrospun polymer nanofiber fabric interleaving to enhance dynamic properties, impact damage resistance, fracture toughness and resistance, and delamination onset life was evaluated. Polymer nanofabric interleaving increased the laminate thickness and weight by an order of 1%, and its impact on in-plane mechanical properties of the composite laminate would be statistically zero. On the other hand, its influence on interlaminar fracture toughness and resistance, impact damage resistance, and damping is substantial. Results of this study showed that interleaving AS4/3501-6 composite laminate increased the damping by 13%, reduced the impact damage size to one-third, increased fracture toughness and resistance by 1.5 times and one-third, respectively, significantly increased delamination onset life, and increased the fatigue threshold energy release rate by two-thirds. These improvements are comparable to that of the commercial T800H/3900-2 composite but with no thickness increase penalty, loss of in-plane properties, or multiple glass transition temperatures.