Author:

Keywords:

Carbon nanotubes, Chemical vapor deposition, Fabrics/textiles, Microcomputed Tomography, Science & Technology, Technology, Materials Science, Composites, Materials Science, Internal geometry characterization, Micro-computed tomography, ALIGNED CARBON NANOTUBES, BEHAVIOR, GLASS

Abstract:

© 2015 International Committee on Composite Materials. All rights reserved. CNT growth can change the processibility of fibers and textiles on which they were grown and affect the meso and microstructure of the composite. This can have an impact on properties of the composite such as progressive damage development. In the present work, we study the effects of grafted CNTs on the internal geometry of a textile composite. Radially aligned CNTs were grown on microfibers within the alumina fabric using chemical vapor deposition. Afterwards, the CNT-modified fabrics were used to manufacture laminates by vacuum assisted resin infusion. Four types of composites were produced that differed in the CNT length and composite production conditions. The internal geometry of the produced laminates was characterized using micro-computed tomography. CNTs were found to increase the “effective” microfiber diameter; this effect was proportional to the CNT length. Short CNTs (~4-6 µm) did not significantly affect the laminate thickness and the yarn geometry whereas long CNTs (~17-19 µm) led to a doubling of the laminate thickness compared to the reference material without CNTs. In order to achieve the same fiber volume fraction as in the reference composite, the composite with long CNTs was also produced with additional pressure that achieved the desired fiber volume fraction as well as altered internal structure of the textile.