A comparative study of damage sensing in fiber composites using uniformly and non-uniformly dispersed carbon nanotubes

The efficiency of damage sensing in fiber composites with uniformly and non-uniformly dispersed carbon nanotubes has been compared in this study. A highly uniform dispersion of carbon nanotube in fiber composites was achieved through the three-roll-mill technique while a non-uniform dispersion of carbon nanotubes was obtained using a nanotube-containing fiber sizing agent. Both techniques are effective in creating electrically conductive network for damage sensing in fiber composites. The sizing agent/glass fiber composite shows much lower resistance change than that of the composites fabricated by three-roll-mill technique. Advantages of the sizing agent approach in composites fabrication have also been examined. (C) 2010 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.