• Self-healing composite could allow machines to last for centuries Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Reddit Flipboard Email Imagine trying to design machines that will last forever, regardless of use or destination. • Instead of those machines requiring a steady stream of spare parts (essentially impossible for space probes or exoplanetary landers to haul or acquire), they’ll be able to heal their super-durable “flesh” more than a thousand times. • Sound too good to be true? • Not to researchers at North Carolina State University, because they’ve created a fiber-reinforced polymer (FRP) composite that could make such machines a reality. • In theirProceedings of the National Academy of Sciencespaper “Self-healing for the Long Haul: In situ Automation Delivers Century-scale Fracture Recovery in Structural Composites,” PhD candidates Jack Turicek and Zach Phillips, along with Dr. • Kalyana Nakshatrala (Professor of Civil and Environmental Engineering at the University of Houston) reveal how their material’s self-healing technique works.

Article Summaries:

  • North Carolina State University researchers have developed a fiber‑reinforced polymer (FRP) composite that can self‑heal interlaminar cracks more than a thousand times, potentially extending its useful life to centuries. The material uses a thermoplastic interlayer that is 3‑D printed onto the fibers and a carbon‑based layer that heats when electrified, melting the polymer so it seeps into and bonds separated layers. Early tests suggest a single healing event per season could allow the composite to last 125 years. The technology, patented by associate professor Jason Patrick and licensed through Structeryx Inc., promises significant cost and environmental savings by reducing the need for replacement parts.
  • North Carolina State University researchers have developed a fiber‑reinforced polymer (FRP) composite that can self‑heal interlaminar cracks more than a thousand times. The material uses a thermoplastic interlayer that melts when electrically heated, allowing it to seep into delaminated interfaces and re‑bond the fibers. In tests, the composite could require only seasonal repairs, potentially extending its useful life to 125 years or more-far beyond the typical few‑decade lifespan of conventional FRPs. The technology, patented by associate professor Jason Patrick and licensed through Structeryx Inc., promises significant cost, energy, and waste reductions for aerospace, automotive, and wind‑turbine applications.

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