Unleashing the potential of CFRP laminate: enhancing mechanical characteristics with STF-Impregnated woven carbon fabric

Abstract

The objective of this study is to evaluate the potential for enhancing the mechanical characteristics of carbon fiber reinforced polymer (CFRP) composites through the embedding of STF-impregnated woven carbon fabric within their structure, referred to as STFFC. The dynamic and static characteristics of the proposed STFFC were evaluated through a series of experimental tests including tensile, modal, dynamic mechanical analysis (DMA), low-velocity impact (LVI), and compression after impact (CAI) tests. The shear thickening fluid (STF), which was prepared by dispersing nano-silica particles in a solvent of polyethylene glycol (PEG), exhibited an abrupt increase in storage and loss modulus upon exceeding a critical shear strain. The result of the modal test revealed that the addition of STF-impregnated fabric into the CFRP composite led to greater damping ratios of 17.71–417.86%, despite the degradation of tensile strength by 10.81% and Young’s modulus by 12.49%. DMA results show that the STFFC has a larger tan δ except for between intersections of 118 °C, and 161 °C. For impact responses, the STFFC resulted in a lower contact force, with a reduction of 2.41–3.30%, and an increase in absorbed energy of 2.87–5.00%. Meanwhile, the CAI strength of the STFFC was degraded by 3.62 to 6.20%. Despite the reduction of tensile, impact, and CAI characteristics of the STFFC, it is noteworthy that the CFRP composites exhibited relatively minor degradation even with the application of STF. The results of the study suggest that embedding STF-impregnated woven carbon fabric can enhance the potential of CFRP composites, making them even more promising solutions for various applications.