Strategies for Improving the Damage Tolerance of Future Composite Materials

Abstract

Improving the damage tolerance of a composite is identified as a key goal for future developments. A change in emphasis is suggested with a move away from the philosophy of improving performance by increasing the resistance of the laminate to damage formation, which should be accompanied by attempts to control the nature of damage such that energy can be absorbed through cracking in a way that is not deleterious to the final properties of the structure.
 Different strategies are proposed to achieve this, consisting of specific attempts to maximise the resistance of the laminate to damage growth by improving interlaminar toughness, GI (prop) or by introducing new architecture into the composite such that the nature of damage is modified. Examples are provided of the use of interlaminar veils, 3D textile forms and the use of specific fiber hybridisation to facilitate the improved resistance to crack propagation.