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The present study investigates, through experimental and numerical approaches, the incorporation effect of different weight concentrations of multi-walled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs) on the mechanical properties of epoxy. Tensile and mode I fracture tests were performed to investigate the effect of the addition of MWCNTs on Young’s modulus, Ultimate Tensile Strength (UTS), critical stress intensity factor (KIC) and critical strain energy release rate (GIC). Different carbon nanotubes (CNTs) contents were employed to compare the effect of the resulting microstructures (well-dispersed and agglomerated CNTs) on the mechanical properties. Field Emission Scanning Electron Microscopy (FESEM) and Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) were used for microstructural analysis and fractography. Experimental results showed that UTS was improved (28%) by incorporation of MWCNTs while the KIC and GIC were substantially increased by 192% and 614%, respectively. CNT pullout and crack bridging were the main contributing mechanisms in toughening the epoxy at low CNT contents (0.1 and 0.25 wt%). In contrast, a combination of crack bridging and crack branching was responsible for the resin toughening in the case of 0.5 wt% loading. The significant increase for KIC and GIC demonstrated the excellent performance of the dispersion approach used in this study. Finite Element modelling was used to provide a more robust analysis of the effect of CNT incorporation in tension tests and of the toughening mechanism of the nanocomposites in mode-I fracture tests.

The reversibility and failure detection and localization capabilities of sensors based on graphene nanoplatelets (GNPs) were tested. Results have shown that the strain sensing capability is reversible presenting no hysteresis and has been demonstrated to endure up to 50 cycles. It was elucidated that if a stationary load is applied, normalized electrical resistance increases and remains mainly constant while load is maintained. Once this load has been completely removed, the structure recovers the initial electrical resistance what reinforced the reversibility of the sensor. Additionally, developed GNP/epoxy sensors were demonstrated to detect and locate damage in the sample due to a breakage of the electrical network when failure occurs that could be differentiated from changes due to strain as they caused an abrupt increase.

Single lap shear tests are carried out at the joints of similar and dissimilar materials, and their electrical resistance through thickness is monitored to evaluate their sensing capabilities. Al-Al and carbon fibre reinforced polymer (CFRP)-Al joints are manufactured with two types of surface treatments of the Al substrates: brushing (B) and grit blasting (GB). The lap shear strength (LSS) is higher with grit blasting due to the optimum surface roughness and the creation of an active surface. Carbon nanotube (CNT)-doped samples are detrimental to the LSS in Al-Al joints compared to the neat adhesive, while a slight increase in LSS for CFRP-Al and CFRP-CFRP is observed due to a better CNT-CFRP interaction and good load transfer between the substrates. Electrical monitoring tests are strongly influenced by the surface treatment with better adhesive-substrate interfaces leading to a more stable response and higher sensitivity, proving the high applicability of the proposed technique.

In recent years, the interest in monitoring the damage of composite materials by measuring the variation of electrical resistance is increasing because deformations and cracks generated in the structure produce changes in the electrical conductivity of the material. In this work, the structural integrity of glass fiber composite materials with epoxy matrix doped with graphene nanoparticles is evaluated under in plane tests (interlaminar shear tests and fracture propagation tests in mode I and II). The results demonstrated the ability of graphene nanoparticles to form conductive networks in the epoxy resin with auto-detection capability of deformation and damage. In the interlaminar shear tests, permanent changes in resistance were associated to strain and delamination produced during the test. In the case of fracture tests in mode I and II, the electrical resistance increased as the crack grew. The use of multiple electrodes has also allowed locating the area of damage generation in the material. Finally, the electrical response of discontinuities generated out of plane of the laminate was analyzed by means of cuts through the material.

Sensing capabilities of carbon nanotube (CNT) doped adhesive films under bending conditions were investigated. Standard Mode-II coupons and skin-stringer sub-elements were manufactured while their electrical resistance was monitored. Mode-II energy fracture was improved when adding CNTs in comparison to neat adhesive joints due to their toughening effect. Electrical monitoring showed a stable increase of the electrical resistance with crack length with lower sensitivity than Mode-I testing due to a lower crack opening effect. A good agreement was observed by comparing to theoretical estimations, indicating a uniform adhesive distribution inside the joint, confirmed by SEM analysis . Monitoring tests on skin-stringer sub-elements subjected to bending load showed a similar behavior but some sharp increases were observed, especially in the last stages of the test, due to a less uniform adhesive distribution in the central region. Therefore, the proposed technique shows a high potential and applicability for Structural Health Monitoring of composite structures.