Interfacial Engineering of Hierarchical Carbon Fiber Reinforced Epoxy Laminates for Mechanical Property Enhancement and Self-healing Ability

Abstract

Carbon fiber-reinforced epoxy (CFRE) laminates have become a significant component in aircraft industries over the years due to their superior mechanical and highly tunable properties. However, the interfacial area between the fibers and the matrix continues to pose a significant challenge in debonding and delamination, leading to significant failures in such components. Therefore, since the advent of such laminated structures, researchers have worked on several interfacial modifications to better the mechanical properties and enhance such laminated systems' service life. In this work, we have successfully fabricated 10 layered hierarchical laminates with engineered interfaces for enhanced matrix adhesion and recovery of interfacial weakly bonded or de-bonded sites that may be causes of subsequent delamination and composite failure. Such architectures could widely be used in aerospace technology, especially in aircraft wings and fuselages. Reduction in fuel and maintenance costs of aircraft structures could be attained through increased structural properties and strength recovery attained by incorporating the advanced laminates presented