Impact damage resistance and damage suppression properties of shape memory alloys in hybrid composites—a review

Abstract

Composite materials are known to have a poor resistance to through-the-thickness impact loading. There are various methods for improving their impact damage tolerance, such as fiber toughening, matrix toughening, interface toughening, through-the-thickness reinforcements, and selective interlayers and hybrids. Hybrid composites with improved impact resistance are particularly useful in military and commercial civil applications. Hybridizing composites using shape memory alloys (SMA) is one solution since SMA materials can absorb the energy of the impact through superelastic deformation or recovery stress, reducing the effects of the impact on the composite structure. The SMA material may be embedded in the hybrid composites (SMAHC) in many different forms and also the characteristics of the fiber reinforcements may vary, such as SMA wires in woven laminates or SMA foils in unidirectional laminates, only to cite two examples. We will review the state of the art of SMAHC for the purpose of damage suppression. Both the active and passive damage suppression mechanisms will be considered.

Multifunctional SMA-based composites for aerospace applications

“…This is confirmed by the fact that to increase impact resistance, multiple layers of SMAs need to be embedded at different depths within the laminate [3]. Since damage location, depth, and size are unknown, to increase the sensitivity of the technique, one possibility is to embed networks of SMA wires at different depths.…”

An Analytical Model for Defect Depth Estimation Using Pulsed Thermography

“…Specifically, the embodiment of SMA within the lay-up of CFRP laminates has been widely studied as a valid manufacturing procedure to enhance the impact resistance of traditional composite structures due to their unique physical properties such as shape memory effect and superelasticity [23]. The electrical variation of embedded SMA wires to the strain distribution within hybrid glass-fiber reinforced plastic (GFRP) laminates has been correlated by [24], while a hybrid CFRP/SMA composite with damages suppression function that is enabled by activating the martensite-austenite transformation was manufactured by [25].…”

Adaptive mechanical properties of topologically interlocking material systems

“…Relevant concepts of adaptive energy absorbers have been based on hydraulic damper elements controlling the different segments of an energy absorbing structure ( [21], [22]), the use of shape memory alloy (SMA) elements ( [23], [24]) and the use of magneto-rheological (MR) fluids ( [25], [26]). HolnickiSzulc et al [24] conceptually modeled and analyzed an adaptive energy absorption system with variable yield strength using sequentially collapsing micro-trusses connected with SMA based micro-fuses.…”