Advanced Design Concepts and Modeling of Composite Materials in Emerging Applications

Nanoparticles and carbon nanotubes-containing composites were deposited on a metal substrate by a micro-arc oxidizing technique. The nanocomposites were developed for their applied researches in fuel tanks and containers of space shuttles. Carbon-nanotube-reinforced composite materials are relatively new class of materials that require extensive investigations in emerging applications at low (cryogenic) and high temperature environments. Two types of nanoparticlereinforced polymeric composites were studied at flexural tests and thermal cycling between 200°C and -80°C temperature with no visual cracks for two and half times more than a matrix. The polymer type and the curing process control the thermal cycle response and ultimate durability of the composites in extreme temperature environments. To validate the use of the simplified twodimensional models, a comparison is made with three-dimensional calculations.

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