NOESIS - Aerospace Nanotube Hybrid Composite Structures with Sensing and Actuating Capabilities
Overview
Background & policy context:
NOESIS exploited the potential offered by Carbon Nano-Tube (CNT) reinforcements and focused on developing novel nano-composite components with enhanced sensing and actuating capabilities. Small loading with conductive additives (1-5% of weight) of nano particles can result in:
- property enhancements comparable to those caused by conventional loadings (15-40%) of common fillers, and
- unique value-added properties not normally possible with common fillers.
Added benefits include better processing and reduced component weight.
Objectives:
- Formation of CNT structured assemblies embedded into resin systems for sensing/actuating purposes and mechanical performance improvement of one order of magnitude;
- Conception and implementation of a multi-scale approach for designing nano-composites;
- Development of a coupled platform for mechanical sensing/actuating performance predictions;
- Design and fabrication of novel composite materials with increased damage tolerance, fracture toughness increased by 100%, fatigue performance improved by 30%;
- Design and fabrication of novel composite materials with tailored damping properties and a five-fold increase of damping ratio for low strain;
- Weight reduction of 10% compared to conventional equivalent CFRP components;
- Integration, modelling and validation of real-time sensing/actuating systems based on novel structural composite materials with real-time strain monitoring, scaling up of nano-actuation performance of CNTs to macro structures and life monitoring capability.
Methodology:
The project objectives were achieved by the development of an innovative process for the design and fabrication of tailored CNT structured assemblies into a polymeric matrix, and by linking this process to a multi-scale modelling/simulation approach. It required the implementation of innovative techniques on a manufacturing scale and an understanding of:
- the characterisation and multi-scale modeling of nano-reinforcements;
- the fabrication, characterisation and nano-mechanics analysis of nanocomposites; and
- the correlation of nano-structural factors with functional properties in these nano-composites.
The following activities were carried out:
- Formation of CNT-structured assemblies embedded into resin systems while retaining sensing/actuating properties and providing the desired mechanical performance (an order of magnitude increase in mechanical properties compared to the state-of-the-art carbon-fibre-reinforced composites);
- Enhancement of the co-electrospinning process as a pathway to realise this potential by aligning and carrying the CNT in the form of nano-composite fibrils;
- Conception and implementation of a multi-scale approach for designing nano-composites;
- Development of a coupled platform for mechanical-sensing/actuating performance predictions;
- Development of stimuli-response nano-composites as actuators.
The project was organised into six technical Work Packages, a management Work Package, and a dissemination and exploitation Work Package.
Share this page