Mechanical characterization of advanced carbon fibre reinforced polymers for down selection of aero-structural materials

Abstract

Carbon fibre reinforced polymers are widely used in primary and secondary aircraft structures, mainly due to their excellent fatigue endurance and specific strength. Nowadays, improvements related to their manufacturing costs, impact resistance and fracture toughness are pursued through the investigation of new matrix-fibre combinations and the application of cutting-edge manufacturing technologies. This work presents the results of the coupons test campaign that has been conducted to assess the mechanical properties of different advanced carbon fibre reinforced polymers, being compared with those obtained for a composite material traditionally used in aero-structures. The effect of the introduction of innovative elements such as reinforcing-matrix Carbon Nanotubes or acoustic damping veil is evaluated. Moreover, the influence of ageing is assessed through the evaluation of the mechanical properties after specimen environmental conditioning. From the execution of this test campaign, a comprehensive knowledge base of mechanical properties has been generated, enabling the comparative analysis with reference composite and down selection of the materials that will be applied in the regional aircraft fuselage concept developed in Clean Sky 2 JU. The study shown here belongs to the scope of SHERLOC project. The purpose of the project is to perform a down selection of the most advanced composite materials, manufacturing processes and Structural Health Monitoring (SHM) systems that contribute moving towards a Condition-Based Maintenance.