Effective Transverse Reinforcement of Unidirectional Thin Prepreg Composites Using Vertically Aligned Carbon Nanotubes

Abstract

In this paper, we investigate the use of vertically aligned carbon nano tubes (VACNTs) in laminated composites across nearby plies for developing advanced composites to improve the transverse mechanical properties of the composite. VACNTs introduced into the interlaminar area by manually printing aligned carbon nanotubes onto the surface of the composite prepreg plies. The transverse tensile test is utilized to determine the improvement in transverse mechanical properties. The results shows that the transverse tensile improved by 31.6 %. This approach demonstrates extremely promising outcomes in terms of improving the composite's transverse strength.