DrStefano Del Rosso
Research Fellow
Department of Aeronautics - Faculty of Engineering
- Research FellowDepartment of Aeronautics - Faculty of Engineering
- 141, City and Guilds Building, South Kensington Campus, United Kingdom
RESEARCH
High performance microbraids
The main aim of the work carried out during the PhD focused at investigating the potential use of 2D microbraids as the primary constituent in high performance textiles and as the reinforcing phase within polymer composite systems.Microbraids having a sub-millimeter diameter were manufactured using a Maypole-type braiding machine. Thus, they were wound in a unidirectional fashion over a spinning aluminium plate using a robotised filament winding system. Finally, a thermoplastic film was wrapped over the faces of the dry fabric and placed in the hot-press for the consolidation stage. Prepregs were hand laid-up at desired orientation to create the final composite panels.
Raw yarns, microbraids and microbraid reinforced polymer composites (mBRPC) were characterised with a series of physical and mechanical tests, from quasi-static to dynamic regimes. Experimental results revealed that the final mechanical properties of microbraids depend not only on the properties of the constituent materials, but also on the fibre bias angle and braid architecture. The tensile behaviour of mBRPC reflected the trends observed while testing the dry microbraids. Impact tests performed on mBRPC showed that, on a weight-to-weight basis, their ballistic limit were superior with respect to those noted for cross-ply laminates made of unidirectional fibres and manufactured using the same technique.
The results of this study indicate that the braiding process can be used to manipulate and modify, to some extent, the mechanical properties of the precursor materials for the creation of new materials with unique and enhanced mechanical properties.
A microbraid
Robotised filament winding
Prepreg of microbraid
Transverse impact tests on dry microbraids
Impact tests on selected mBRPC
The main aim of the work carried out during the PhD focused at investigating the potential use of 2D microbraids as the primary constituent in high performance textiles and as the reinforcing phase within polymer composite systems.Microbraids having a sub-millimeter diameter were manufactured using a Maypole-type braiding machine. Thus, they were wound in a unidirectional fashion over a spinning aluminium plate using a robotised filament winding system. Finally, a thermoplastic film was wrapped over the faces of the dry fabric and placed in the hot-press for the consolidation stage. Prepregs were hand laid-up at desired orientation to create the final composite panels.
Raw yarns, microbraids and microbraid reinforced polymer composites (mBRPC) were characterised with a series of physical and mechanical tests, from quasi-static to dynamic regimes. Experimental results revealed that the final mechanical properties of microbraids depend not only on the properties of the constituent materials, but also on the fibre bias angle and braid architecture. The tensile behaviour of mBRPC reflected the trends observed while testing the dry microbraids. Impact tests performed on mBRPC showed that, on a weight-to-weight basis, their ballistic limit were superior with respect to those noted for cross-ply laminates made of unidirectional fibres and manufactured using the same technique.
The results of this study indicate that the braiding process can be used to manipulate and modify, to some extent, the mechanical properties of the precursor materials for the creation of new materials with unique and enhanced mechanical properties.
A microbraid
Robotised filament winding
Prepreg of microbraid
Transverse impact tests on dry microbraids
Impact tests on selected mBRPC