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Research project: Aerospace composite materials damage assessment by High Resolution Computed Tomography

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In order to reduce the weight of aircraft, composite materials are increasingly being used on primary structures.  One major concern in the aerospace industry with composites is that the material can easily be damaged through impact events such as hail; bird strike; runway debris; and dropped tools.

This project aims to develop a fundamental understanding of the failure mechanisms driving impact performance, damage tolerance and damage resistance in Carbon Fibre Reinforced Polymers (CFRP) using tools such as 3D computational tomography.  We also investigate the relationship between measurable laminate impact properties (e.g. energy absorbtion on delamination, transverse and 0 degree split growth), particle contribution to impact resistance and the material's tolerance to impact.

Material damage illustration
Material damage illustration
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