Characterization and performance of a self-healing composite material

The development of a self-healing polymer-matrix composite material that possesses the ability to heal cracks autonomically is described. The system uses a monomer repair agent, dicyclopentadiene (DCPD), which is stored in an epoxy matrix by dispersing microcapsules containing the liquid repair agent throughout the matrix. When the material is damaged, cracks propagate through the material and break open the microcapsules, releasing the repair agent into the crack plane. Finally, the DCPD repair agent solidifies by ring-opening metathesis polymerization (ROMP) after coming in contact with a ruthenium-based catalyst (Grubbs' catalyst) dispersed in the matrix. The process by which the DCPD-filled microcapsules are prepared and the various techniques to characterize the microcapsules are discussed.; The cure kinetics of poly dicyclopentadiene (pDCPD) prepared by ROMP with three different concentrations of Grubbs' catalyst are examined using differential scanning calorimetry (DSC). The experimental data are used to test several different phenomenological kinetic models. The data are best modeled with a “model-free” isoconversional method. This analysis reveals that the activation energy increases significantly for degree of cure greater than 60%. Catalyst concentration is shown to have a large effect on the cure kinetics. Differential scanning calorimetry measurements on the catalyzed healing agent are also used to study the stability of the system to environmental conditions.; A study of the healing of delamination damage in woven reinforced epoxy composites is performed. Three types of healing process are studied. In the first, a catalyzed monomer is manually injected into the delamination. In the second, a self-activated material is created by embedding the catalyst directly into the matrix of the composite, then manually injecting the monomer. In the third, a fully integrated in situ system is described with embedded microcapsules and catalyst. Double-cantilever-beam (DCB) and width-tapered double-cantilever-beam (WTDCB) specimens were tested to study the healing of delamination in composites by comparing the toughness of the virgin specimen with the toughness of the same specimen after healing was complete. Scanning electron microscopy is used to analyze the fracture surfaces and provide physical evidence of repair.