INFLUENCE OF GNP ON THE TENSILE RESPONSE OF STITCHED COMPOSITES

Through-the-thickness stitching of layered composites provides through-the- thickness reinforcement to enhance the interlaminar tensile and shear strengths while maintaining structural continuity. However, under planar mechanical loads, stitched composites develop strain concentrations in the resin rich areas around the stitch seam causing a local reduction in mechanical properties. In this study, nanographene toughened epoxy is used to reduce strain concentrations around stitch seams and increase the global tensile performance in stitched composites. Stitched carbon fiber preforms ([+45/-45] ), infused with an unmodified epoxy resin were used as baseline laminates and compared to specimens infused with an epoxy resin containing a dispersion of 9 nm nanographene platelets. Specimens with two different periodic stitching patterns (0o and 90o) were fabricated and tested under uniaxial loading. The surface strain fields were obtained using digital image correlation (DIC). Noticeable differences were seen in the strain distributions and tensile properties of these test articles. Specimens with the nanographene-modified matrix showed reductions in the strain concentrations around the stitch seams, thereby increasing the local modulus of elasticity. This study presents the influence of nanographene-modified matrix on the tensile response of stitched composites

3D Printing in Fiber-Device Technology

Recent advances in additive manufacturing enable redesigning material morphology on nano-, micro-, and meso-scale, for achieving an enhanced functionality on the macro-scale. From non-planar and flexible electronic circuits, through biomechanically realistic surgical models, to shoe soles individualized for the user comfort, multiple scientific and technological areas undergo material-property redesign and enhancement enabled by 3D printing. Fiber-device technology is currently entering such a transformation. In this paper, we review the recent advances in adopting 3D printing for direct digital manufacturing of fiber preforms with complex cross-sectional architectures designed for the desired thermally drawn fiber-device functionality. Subsequently, taking a recursive manufacturing approach, such fibers can serve as a raw material for 3D printing, resulting in macroscopic objects with enhanced functionalities, from optoelectronic to bio-functional, imparted by the fiber-devices properties. Graphic abstract

Effects of Fabrication Methods on the Performance of Luminescent Solar Concentrators Based on Doped Polymer Optical Fibers

In this work, we detail two types of fabrication processes of four polymer optical fibers doped with lumogen dyes. The fiber preforms have been manufactured with two different methods: extrusion and casting. We have compared the performance of the two types of fibers as luminescent solar concentrators by calculating their optical efficiencies and concentration factors. The obtained results show better performance for those fibers manufactured by the casting process. We have also studied the photostability of the two types of fibers doped with the dye lumogen red under solar light radiation. A high thermal stability of the doped fibers has been observed.