Investigating the Role of Interfaces on Multi-Scale Mechanics of Additively Manufactured Aerospace Polymer Composites
Abstract
The overarching goal of this research is to provide the basic science necessary to engineer interfaces in additively manufactured (AM) carbon fiber-thermoplastic composites. This will in turn resolve key shortcomings of AM composites, enabling significant enhancement of their mechanical performance, and accelerate their adoption by DoD. To this end, the proposed investigation will i) reveal the interfacial phenomena that control macroscale mechanical behavior in AM composites, and ii) investigate graphene-based engineering to tailor interfacial structure and properties in AM composites. Continuous carbon fiber thermoplastic composites, which only recently have begun to transition into the realm of additive manufacturing, via fused deposition modeling, are highly desirable for aerospace applications. Continuous fiber composites offer a highly anisotropic and unrivaled specific stiffness/strength. Additive manufacturing enables creating complex parts with little or no additional lead time or cost related to complexity. Together, additive manufacturing and continuous carbon fiber composites provide an exceptional opportunity to design and fabricate geometrically complex structures with optimized shape, layout, and fiber paths. We envision that AM composite structures can achieve an order of magnitude weight reduction compared with conventional state-of-the-art composites.
Document Details
- Document Type
- DoD Grant Award
- Publication Date
- Jan 21, 2022
- Source ID
- FA95502110066XX0
Entities
People
- Mehran Tehrani
Organizations
- Air Force Office of Scientific Research
- United States Air Force
- University of Texas at Austin