COMPOSITE SELF-HEALING SYSTEM

摘要

An advanced reflexive structure system is disclosed. The reflexive system mimics the pain withdrawal reflex on which the human body relies. The reflexive system incorporates a continuous health and performance monitoring system via an embedded dielectric film, an adaptive composite structure based on shape memory composite material, and an intelligence system which will be interfaced with both the health/performance sensors and the adaptive structure. When activated shape memory polymer will recover its structural integrity via shape recovery and a reptation healing process. These features enable the use of SMP as an adaptive structure in the proposed reflexive system. The development of a reflexive system for structures will enable increased safety and security and demonstrate a better understanding of integrated performance systems. This reflexive technology could find immediate implementation on all current and future systems and future implementation on platforms such as the International Space Station, Lunar, and Martian habitats.

主权项

1. A self-healing system comprising:
at least one composite panel formed from a cured product of stacked plies, the stacked plies comprising:
a first ply of an adaptive structure comprising a shape memory polymer chosen from thermoset shape memory polymers and thermoplastic shape memory polymers;a second ply comprising a matrix of heating elements; anda third ply comprising a sensor grid array; a damage detecting system that sends a waveform to the sensor grid array and receives a response from the sensor grid array to produce a data set; a control system that analyzes the data set to determine at least one damage location of damage to the at least one composite panel, determines a target healing area based on the damage location, and selectively activates and deactivates individual heating elements of the matrix of heating elements to cause localized heating in the target healing area that activates a combination of self-healing mechanisms in the adaptive structure, the combination of self-healing mechanisms comprising shape memory effect and reptation.