Abstract
The introduction of graphene-related materials (GRMs) in carbon fibre-reinforced polymers (CFRP) has been proved to enhance their mechanical and electrical properties. However, methodologies to produce the 3-phase materials (multiscale composites) at an industrial scale and in an efficient manner are still lacking. In this paper, multiscale CFRP composites containing different GRMs have been manufactured following standard procedures currently used in the aerospace industry with the aim to evaluate its potential application. Graphite nanoplateletelets (GNPs), in situ exfoliated graphene oxide (GO) and reduced graphene oxide (rGO) have been dispersed into an epoxy resin to subsequently impregnate aeronautical grade carbon fibre tape. The resulting prepregs have been used for manufacturing laminates by hand lay-up and autoclave curing at 180 °C. A broad characterization campaign has been carried out to understand the behaviour of the different multiscale laminates manufactured. The degree of cure, glass transition temperature and degradation temperature have been evaluated by thermal evolution techniques. Similarly, their mechanical properties (tensile, flexural, in-plane shear, interlaminar shear and mode I interlaminar fracture toughness) have been analysed together with their electrical conductivity. The manufacturing process resulted appropriated for producing three-phase laminates and their quality was as good as in conventional CFRPs. The addition of GO and rGO resulted in an enhancement of the in-plane shear properties and delamination resistance while the addition of GNP improved the electrical conductivity.
Highlights
Carbon fibre-reinforced polymers (CFRPs) are widely used in the aerospace industry due to their outstanding strength-to-weight ratios [1, 2]
Considering the potential industrial benefits of the introduction of graphene-related materials (GRMs) in CFRPs for the aerospace industry, this study aims to produce multiscale CFRPs laminates with commercial materials, involving industrial partners and using industrial procedures in every step of the process: from the production of GRMs to the final manufacturing of multiscale laminates
Multiscale CFRPs, with epoxy matrix and aeronautical grade carbon fibre, containing three different GRMs have been successfully manufactured by prepreg hand lay-up and autoclave curing using standard procedures implemented in the industry in every step of the procedure: from the production of GRMs to the final laminates
Summary
Carbon fibre-reinforced polymers (CFRPs) are widely used in the aerospace industry due to their outstanding strength-to-weight ratios [1, 2]. The strength, stiffness and toughness of GRMs, as well as their thermal and electrical conductivities, together with the large specific surface area and aspect ratio, lead to an enhancement of the mechanical properties of polymers while providing multifunctionality [15,16,17,18,19]. While one of the main problems of adding nanocarbon reinforcements to the resin is the subsequent increase in viscosity, it has been demonstrated that this increment is lower using GRMs than CNTs, what is a key aspect to manufacture multiscale composites (3-phase composites) in a large scale [17, 26,27,28]
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