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Microscale Characterization Techniques of Fibre-Reinforced Polymers

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The Structural Integrity of Carbon Fiber Composites

Abstract

Polymer matrices reinforced with structural fibres as carbon, glass or aramid (fibre-reinforced polymers or FRPs) possess excellent specific mechanical properties as strength and stiffness. As a result, structural composites are commonly used in applications driven by weight reduction in aerospace, although they are continuously expanding to other industrial sectors, such as automotive, energy, sports or civil engineering. Excellent examples of carbon composite applications in aerospace are found in the last two civil airplanes developed by Airbus and Boeing, the A350 and 787 Dreamliner, respectively, in which composites made up to 50 % in weight of structural parts ranging from fuselage barrels or wings to stabilizers. However, despite the increasing number of engineering applications of structural composites, the accurate prediction of their mechanical behaviour still remains an arduous task because of the complexity of the failure mechanisms involved, specially at the microscopic level.

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Acknowledgements

This chapter summarizes the results obtained in a number of research projects supported by the Spanish Ministry of Economy and Competitiveness, the Seventh Framework Programme of the European Union and Airbus. We gratefully acknowledge their support. In addition, we acknowledge the contributions from the graduate students and postdoctoral associates from our research groups, specially Dr. Marcos Rodríguez and Dr. Luis Pablo Canal.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. IMDEA Materials Institute, C/Eric Kandel, 2, 28906, Getafe, Madrid, Spain

    M. Herráez, F. Naya, C. González, M. Monclús, J. Molina, C. S. Lopes & J. LLorca

  2. Department of Material Science, Polytechnic University of Madrid, E. T. S. de Ingenieros de Caminos, Ciudad Universitaria, 28040, Madrid, Spain

    C. González & J. LLorca

Authors
  1. M. Herráez
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  2. F. Naya
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  3. C. González
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  4. M. Monclús
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  5. J. Molina
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  6. C. S. Lopes
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  7. J. LLorca
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to C. González .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Engineering, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, United Kingdom

    Peter W. R Beaumont

  2. Aerospace Research Institute, The University of Manchester, Manchester, United Kingdom

    Constantinos Soutis

  3. Department of Mechanical Engineering, The University of Sheffield, Sheffield, United Kingdom

    Alma Hodzic

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Herráez, M. et al. (2017). Microscale Characterization Techniques of Fibre-Reinforced Polymers. In: Beaumont, P., Soutis, C., Hodzic, A. (eds) The Structural Integrity of Carbon Fiber Composites. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-46120-5_10

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