New aircraft materials reshape themselves in flight and cut weight
Researchers have created composite materials that combine shape memory polymers with glass fiber reinforcement, enabling aircraft structures to adapt their shape mid-flight while improving durability by 50%. The breakthrough could reduce aviation fuel consumption and maintenance costs while opening new design possibilities for aerospace manufacturers.
Originaltitel: Additively manufactured Graphene-SMP sheets embedded with GFRP for hybrid adaptive aerospace composite structures
<p>In this study, we investigate the structural and functional properties of additively manufactured shape memory polymer (SMP) sheets enhanced with varying weight percentages of graphene nanoplatelets (GNPs) using an LCD-based vat photopolymerization technique. Smart and fully adaptive hybrid aerospace composites were developed by embedding the manufactured sheets within glass fiber (GF) reinforcements using a'co-injection and co-curing' process. The incorporation of 0.1 wt% GNPs into the SMP matrix during manufacturing increased the failure strain by approximately 50% while maintaining a tensile strength comparable to that of pristine SMP. The co-curing approach ensured seamless integration of the 3D-printed SMP sheets into traditional glass fiber reinforced polymer (GFRP) composites, significantly improving interfacial adhesion and overall mechanical and shape memory performance. Furthermore, a unique "in-situ hybrid printing" technique for GF-SMP composites was developed, eliminating the need for a secondary adhesive process, enhancing resin impregnation efficiency, and strengthening interfacial bonding. Comprehensive mechanical characterization, including tensile, flexural, and peel tests, revealed the multi-scale interfacial mechanisms responsible for the enhanced performance. The co-cured SMP-GFRP hybrid composites exhibited a tensile strength of 82.2 MPa and demonstrated good shape memory behavior, with a shape recovery ratio exceeding 80% and a shape fixity ratio of approximately 60% over five repeated testing cycles. The proposed methodology offers a promising approach for enhancing the mechanical and functional performance of hybrid GFRP composites, demonstrating significant potential for lightweight, high-strength, and adaptive structures in aerospace applications.</p>