2A1_0660_ NANOFIBERS FOR DAMAGE RESISTANT COMPOSITE MATERIALS

Abstract

Fiber reinforced polymer composites are the go-to material for designing applications that require a high strength and stiffness at minimal weight such as aerospace structures, wind turbines or ultralight vehicles. However, delamination between the reinforcing plies remains a major occurring failure type. Interleaving electrospun nanofibres between the reinforcing plies has proven to be a viable interlaminar toughening method which significantly limits the occurrence of delamination failure in composites. This contributions gives an overview into the relationship between the electrospun nanofibre properties and the resulting toughened composites.