North Carolina State University scientists have created a futuristic material that heals itself over 1,000 times, which could lead to cars, aircraft, wind turbines, and spacecraft lasting for centuries without costly maintenance and repair.
Although the new material, which is stronger than composites currently used for such applications, is still in the testing phase, the researchers behind its creation are already working with industry partners to bring their self-healing composite to the marketplace.
“This would significantly drive down costs and labor associated with replacing damaged composite components, and reduce the amount of energy consumed and waste produced by many industrial sectors – because they’ll have fewer broken parts to manually inspect, repair or throw away,” explained Jason Patrick, corresponding author of the paper and an associate professor of civil, construction and environmental engineering at North Carolina State University.
Weakness in Current FRBs Motivated Futuristic Material That Heals Itself
When engineers want strong, lightweight materials that can withstand extreme pressures, they increasingly turn to fiber-reinforced polymer (FRP) composites. Made from layers of fibers, such as carbon fiber or glass, bonded together by a polymer matrix, such as epoxy, FRBs are often the go-to material for aircraft, spacecraft, automobiles, and wind turbines due to their impressive strength-to-weight ratio.
While this advanced material is also beginning to appear in other modern structures, its widespread use has revealed an inherent problem that leads to its breakdown: interlaminar delamination. Specifically, FRBs develop small cracks under pressure that can cause the fiber layers to separate from the bonding matrix.
“Delamination has been a challenge for FRP composites since the 1930s,” Professor Patrick explained.
Tests Prove Material’s Resilience After 1,000 Repeated Fractures
More:
https://thedebrief.org/spacecraft-heal-thyself-engineers-invent-futuristic-material-that-heals-itself-and-lasts-for-centuries/
