SÉMINAIRE DU PR. Francis Aviles CETINA – Motion sensing and structural health monitoring of smart carbon-nanostructured hierarchical composites

Motion sensing and structural health monitoring of smart carbon-nanostructured hierarchical composites
Dr. Francis Avilés Scientific Research Center of Yucatán (CICY)

Carbon nanostructures such as nanotubes (CNTs) and graphenic sheets (GSs) can be used to modify electrically insulting materials, rendering electro-conductive composites. These materials are frequently multifunctional, multiscale, and hierarchical, where each component plays a different role and is in a different dimensional scale (nano, micro, macro). One of this outstanding materials is a carbon nanotube yarn (CNTY), i.e., a continuous twisted fiber made of carbon nanotubes. This talk will include a brief discussion on the characterization of CNTYs for their use as electrical sensing elements in hierarchical composites. The integration of CNTYs, CNTs, and GSs as part of multiscale hierarchical polymer composites will be discussed, aiming to produce smart materials with self-sensing capabilities. Applications discussed will be human motion sensing and structural health monitoring under quasi-static and fatigue loading. Knowledge generated through the electrical response of these materials can be used to develop condition-based maintenance programs of large composite structures, saving resources and possibly even human lives. Ongoing joint research with the group of LAPLACE will also be briefly discussed.