| Self-sensing composite materials with nanoscale sensor networks can provide feedback about quality evolution during composites manufacturing as well as long-term structural health. Multi-scale composites spanning nano to macro scales involve the interaction between components of varying length scales. An example of such an interaction is the influence of hollow glass microspheres on the electrical conductivity and strain sensitivity of novel carbon nanotube-based syntactic foams. In addition to uniformly dispersed carbon nanotube networks, selective integration of carbon nanotubes has been studied in form of carbon nanotube sheets and carbon nanotube sizing agents. Both techniques enable one-step carbon nanotube integration. Carbon nanotube sheets have been found to be especially useful for prepreg composites. In addition to piezoresistive-based sensing, time domain reflectometry has been studied and the strain response of time domain reflectometry sensors has been modeled and validated. Carbon nanotubes have been found to increase the strain response and damage sensitivity of time domain reflectometry sensors due to breakage of carbon nanotube networks. Two-dimensional deformation mapping and damage sensing has been implemented on composite panels using both piezoresistivity and time domain reflectometry. For the first time, high accuracy cure monitoring has been achieved using non-invasive time domain reflectometry sensors. |
