Electro-thermal and mechanical performance of multi-wall carbon nanotubes buckypapers embedded in fibre reinforced polymer composites for ice protection applications

Zangrossi, Francesco; Xu, Fang; Warrior, Nick; Karapappas, Petros; Hou, Xianghui

Abstract

Several ice protection strategies have been developed to overcome the icing hazards in the aerospace industry. The electro-thermal method is one of the popular approaches to prevent ice accretion and accumulation on aircraft surfaces. Given the increasing requirement of composites on aircraft structures, metal frameworks/fibre-reinforced composites have been developed as a de-icing solution for the new generation aircraft. The present work aimed to fabricate self-heating multi-wall carbon nanotubes based composites for ice protection and to study their electro-thermal and mechanical characteristics. Carbon nanotube buckypapers (CNPs) were prepared and embedded in fibre reinforced polymer composites by two methods: pre-preg and resin impregnation. The influence of the carbon nanotube network structure on the mechanical properties and electrical characteristics of the composites was evaluated. Mechanical tests, three-point flexural test and interlaminar shear strength test demonstrated improved mechanical characteristics of the CNP based composites. De-icing performance of the composites was conducted through a heating test in a climate chamber at ?20?. The results indicated that the CNP-based composite is a promising self-heating material candidate for ice protection systems.

• Journal Article Type: Article
• Acceptance Date: Mar 6, 2020
• Online Publication Date: Apr 2, 2020
• Publication Date: Sep 1, 2020
• Deposit Date: Nov 11, 2020
• Publicly Available Date: Nov 12, 2020
• Journal: Journal of Composite Materials
• Print ISSN: 0021-9983
• Electronic ISSN: 1530-793X
• Publisher: SAGE Publications
• Peer Reviewed: Peer Reviewed
• Volume: 54
• Issue: 23
• Pages: 3457-3469
• DOI: https://doi.org/10.1177/0021998320915639
• Keywords: Mechanical Engineering; Materials Chemistry; Mechanics of Materials; Ceramics and Composites
• Public URL: https://nottingham-repository.worktribe.com/output/4266813
• Publisher URL: https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/abs/10.1177/0021998320915639