Page 15 - MODCOMP Newsletter no. 6

Newsletter, Volume 6

Modelling to support materials developments

The MODCOMP project is coming to an end. Throughout the entire project, the modelling activities have
been helping to get a better understanding of how an addition of carbon nanotubes (CNTs) can affect
the thermal, electrical and mechanical properties of composites (analysing different parameters as con-
centration, diameter, length, defects, functionalizations, …), in what manner different surface treat-
ments over the carbon fibers can improve the materials performance (as the out-of plane strength, re-
lated with the delamination resistance) and to what extend the nano-particles may have also an impact
in terms of manufacturing. This information has been relevant for the demonstration cases.
At the end of the project, a demonstration about how modelling can help to understand complex coupled
phenomena has been also performed. This has been done through the development of a physically based
constitutive model able to integrate mechanical and functional responses (mechanical damage and ther-
mal behaviour) of modified CFRP hat stringer under the influence of CNTs in macroscopic level. The mod-
elling activities have been performed through the collaboration of ITAINNOVA, POLITO, RISE-SICOMP and
NCC.

For more information, you can contact:
Agustin Chiminelli, ITAINNOVA
E-mail: achiminelli@itainnova.es

Simulation of damage generation on a hat stringer in a 3P bending test (left).
Real demonstrator tested experimentally (right). (RISE-SICOMP)

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