Josiah Jungkuntz
Research Mentor(s): Bilal Sharqi
Mentor Department: Aerospace Engineering
Authors: Bilal Sharqi, Josiah Jungkuntz, Steven Crechiolo
Session: Session 1 (9:00am – 9:50am)
Presentation Type: Poster 89
Abstract
Carbon fiber composites have become increasingly popular over the last few decades. Strong and durable, yet extremely lightweight, they are often the primary material used in aerospace structures. However, their low electrical conductivity means that phenomena such as lightning strikes could cause substantial damage to carbon-fiber structures, making repairs challenging, and in extreme cases, possible loss of the aircraft. A material with the same mechanical properties of carbon fiber that could also dissipate or even store the energy from a lightning strike could substantially improve the downtime for repairs and overall safety for aviation. This study aims to establish a baseline for mechanical testing of a commercially available carbon fiber composite material. Once the baseline properties are available, the study will investigate how the addition of electrically conductive nanoparticles impact the mechanical and strength-related properties of the underlying composite material. Carbon fiber specimens were manufactured using a prepreg layup, a process in which preexisting sheets of carbon fiber and resin are stacked up according to the desired stacking sequence. For quality control, several carbon fiber plates were manufactured, cured, and measured to ensure uniform thickness across multiple parts. A “dogbone†shaped specimen was selected as the test article on which the various mechanical and electrical tests would be performed, according to ASTM standards. Both the traditional and enhanced specimens will then be tested with a tensile tester to determine parameters such as yield strength and maximum strain. The stress-strain curves can then be compared for the specimens with and without the nanoparticles. These results will allow for quantitative characterizations of the failure behavior of the involved composite specimens.
