AbstractDelamination between adjacent laminas and debonding at the fiber/metal interface are common failure modes in composites and fiber‐metal laminates (FMLs). During the initial stages, these flaws are difficult to detect because of their small size and limited applicability of existing damage‐sensing techniques due to the associated heterogeneity and anisotropy with composites and FMLs. Here, we demonstrate a feasible interlaminar damage‐sensing strategy in composites and FMLs using carbon nanotube (CNT) bucky paper (BP). The microstructure dependence of BP electrical conductivity allows it to sense the damage under varying loading conditions. The accuracy of strain sensing with BP is similar to the commercial 120 Ω strain gauge. The BP sensor accurately detects the interlaminar damage in composites (glass fiber/epoxy, carbon fiber/epoxy) and glass fiber–Al (GLARE) laminates. The delamination is marked by a steep rise in the electrical resistance of BP‐modified coupons. Moreover, the sensing capability of the BP sensor is found to be independent of the electrical conductivity of the tested coupons. Thus, the present approach is applicable to sense the interlaminar damage in a much wider class of structural composites and FMLs.Highlights Timely and accurate damage detection in composites is important to ensure their structural integrity. Electrical resistance of bucky paper (BP) varies with deformation. Performance of the BP sensor is comparable to the strain gauge at small strains. BP accurately captures interlaminar damage in composites and FMLs. BP is suitable for damage sensing in a wider class of layered materials.
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