Advances in the experimental investigation of the mechanical properties of Carbon Nanoweld

Abstract

Nanoweld® carbon Fabric for Carbon Reinforced Plastics is a bio-inspired carbon fabric that promises improved strength for low weight, aiming to meet the needs of the transportation for lighter and stronger structures. The proprietary process re-introduces internal geometry as an important design parameter in composite reinforcement leading to microfibre-nanofibre-nanoparticle fractal networks taking inspiration from archetypal natural structures such as feathers.

The presentation will describe the carbon fabric manufacturing process and focus on the outcomes of the evaluation testing for the mechanical properties of the nanowelded fabrics. The polymeric nanofibre-carbon fibre bonds on randomly selected scaffold samples were examined with Scanning Electron Microscopy, before and after mechanical testing in tension and flexure. The local failure characteristics have been recorded, indicating the merits and pitfalls of the quality of the nanofibre-carbon fibre bonds in 3 cases, where different thermoplastics (PAN, PVDF and PA6) were used as nanofibre precursors.