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The synergetic relation of flexural strain behaviors and electrical signals of carbon nanotube-based polymer laminates

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Abstract

A predictable numerical relationship describing the electrical/mechanical behavior of the carbon nanotube (CNT)-based nanocomposite laminates can realize dynamic health monitoring for the composite components to provide vital information of service status. This paper outlined the parameter-based numerical equations by analyzing the electrical conduction mechanism of the CNT Bucky paper sensor from both the micro- and macro-levels. The CNT-based nanosensors cut from Bucky paper with 500 mg CNT concentration were selected to explore the electrical/mechanical responses relationships during the different flexural strain stages (50%, 80%, and 100% fraction of the fracture strain). Subsequently, the desirable agreement between the experimental curve and the fitting curve obtained from a new series of CNT-based composite specimens demonstrated the validity, suitability, and flexibility of this fitting curve. Finally, the sensors with the reasonable CNT content, film thickness, and dense conductive networks have been selected as suitable sensors for monitoring the mechanical behavior of the composite laminates, which offered the adequate bonding of the fiber–resin–CNT interface to provide higher piezoresistive sensitivity and stable resistance changing process.

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Data Availability Statement

This manuscript has associated data in a data repository. [Authors’ comment: The data sets supporting the results of this article are included within the article.]

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Acknowledgements

The authors would like to thank the Shenyang Aerospace University and Liaoning Key Laboratory of Advanced Polymer Matrix Composites Manufacturing Technology for supporting the materials, equipment, and other research activities.

Funding

This work was supported by Special Zone of National Defense Science and Technology Innovation: 18-H863-31-ZD-002–001-20 and Foundation of Liaoning Province Education Administration No. JYT2020013.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. School of Aerospace Engineering, Shenyang Aerospace University, Shenyang, 110136, China

    Cheng Lin Han, Ai Li Zou, Gong-Dong Wang, Nan Li, Meng Wang, Ling Wei & Xi Liang Liu

  2. School of Aeronautics and Astronautics, Sichuan University, Chengdu, 610065, China

    Nan Li

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  1. Cheng Lin Han
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Contributions

CLH was involved in writing—original draft preparation, software, data curation, writing—original draft preparation, writing—review and editing, validation, investigation; ALZ contributed to methodology, supervision; G-DW was involved in conceptualization, methodology; NL contributed to conceptualization, supervision; MW, LW and XLL were involved in Validation.

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Correspondence to Ai Li Zou, Gong-Dong Wang or Nan Li.

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Han, C.L., Zou, A.L., Wang, GD. et al. The synergetic relation of flexural strain behaviors and electrical signals of carbon nanotube-based polymer laminates. Eur. Phys. J. Plus 137, 462 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1140/epjp/s13360-022-02641-7

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