Multiscale modeling of PVDF matrix carbon fiber composites

Abstract

Self-sensing carbon fiber reinforced composites have the potential to enable structural health monitoring that is inherent to the composite material rather than requiring external or embedded sensors. It has been demonstrated that a self-sensing carbon fiber reinforced polymer composite can be created by using the piezoelectric polymer polyvinylidene difluoride (PVDF) as the matrix material and using a Kevlar layer to separate two carbon fiber layers. In this configuration, the electrically conductive carbon fiber layers act as electrodes and the Kevlar layer acts as a dielectric to prevent the electrical shorting of the carbon fiber layers. This composite material has been characterized experimentally for its effective d 33 and d 31 piezoelectric coefficients. However, for design purposes, it is desirable to obtain a predictive model of the effective piezoelectric coefficients for the final smart composite material. Also, the inverse problem can be solved to determine the degree of polarization obtained in the PVDF material during polarization by comparing the effective d 33 and d 31 values obtained in experiment to those predicted by the finite element model. In this study, a multiscale micromechanics and coupled piezoelectricmechanical finite element modeling approach is introduced to predict the mechanical and piezoelectric performance of a plain weave carbon fiber reinforced PVDF composite. The modeling results show good agreement with the experimental results for the mechanical and electrical properties of the composite. In addition, the degree of polarization of the PVDF component of the composite is predicted using this multiscale modeling approach and shows that there is opportunity to drastically improve the smart composite's performance by improving the polarization procedure.

Self-Powered Infrared-Responsive Electronic Skin Employing Piezoelectric Nanofiber Nanocomposites Driven by Microphase Transition

“…The photoresponsivity of our PMH devices has been greatly improved compared with the IR photoresponse performance reported in the latest literature (the IR photoresponsivities were 6.6 × 10 –7 A/(mW·mm –2 ) 2 and 80.0 mV/(mW·mm –2 ) in the literatures, whereas the order of magnitude of the photocurrent corresponding to 889.7, 977.6, and 493.8 mV/(mW·mm –2 ) of PMH devices was 1.0 × 10 –4 A/(mW·mm –2 )). Additionally, according to previous studies, the piezoelectric coefficients of PVDF and MWCNTs composites ranged from 2 to 8 pC/N. − Therefore, PMH nanocomposites had remarkable piezoelectricity to macromechanical pressure (at room temperature in air, sensor size: 20 × 8.0 × 0.134 mm 3 ). Figure e,f shows the V OC of 33 wt % PMH sensors at different conditions including pressures and frequency, respectively.…”

Electrospun Polyvinylidene Fluoride Piezoelectric Fiber Glass/Carbon Hybrid Self-Sensing Composites for Structural Health Monitoring

“…Self-sensing fabrics are based on different sensing principles, including the use of the piezoresistive properties of carbon fibers to detect any strain on the material [12,22,23] as well as the use of piezoelectric fibers [26,27]. Conversely, the self-sensing matrix part is formed by adding a certain proportion of conductive material to the matrix of a polymer and utilizing the conductive material's piezoresistive properties for sensing [28][29][30]; additionally, a piezoelectric polymer or conductive polymer can be employed as a matrix [31][32][33][34].…”

An analytical micromechanics‐based multiscale model for the analysis of functionally graded nanocomposites

“…The homogenization is performed numerically using finite element calculations. Other multiscale models based on molecular dynamics [29][30][31][32] or micromechanics [33][34][35][36] are presented by various authors.…”