Abstract

In the present work, a model of electrical properties of composites with inherent sensing properties is proposed. More specifically, the effect of both geometry and dispersion procedure is analyzed for carbon nanostructured polimers, exploring their influence in its electromechanical properties by developing simple analytical methods. In this context, it is observed that a better CNT distribution (by reducing the aggregate ratio) leads to a higher electrical conductivity as well as a higher electrical sensitivity to mechanical deformation. Therefore, the proposed model allows to get a deepr knoweledge about the influence of different processing parametrs in the final electrical properties of the nanocomposite. Moreover, the experimetal testing of self-sensing structures has been carried out by using a carbon nanotube doped adhesive film. More specifically, it has been observed that the proposed nanostructured adhesive presnts an outstanding capability for early damage detection and propagation, being a promising technique in order to complement other available inspection methods. This tests have been validated at coupon level, as well as a subelement one, by using stiffened panels. In addition, it has been proved a higher capability for detecting the presence of possible weak interfaces, demonstrating the applicability of the developed technique.