Damage Healing of Polymer Composite Structures under Service Conditions

The primary research objective of this project is to develop new polymer composite panels for in-service damage self-healing through (1) design, synthesis, characterization, and manufacturing of two-way shape memory polymers (2W-SMPs), which expand when temperature drops, even under compression; (2) multiscale modeling of the smart composite structures; and (3) additive manufacturing using 3D printing and experimental evaluation of the smart composite panels for impact mitigation and in-service crack healing. The material to be investigated will be a smart self-healing composite with 2W-SMP particles dispersed in an ionomer matrix. The basic idea is that we will use the low temperature expansion of the embedded 2W-SMP particles to close the impact-induced crack and the ionomer itself to heal the closed crack. This project targets several programs in the NASA Aeronautics Research Mission Directorate (ARMD) and Human Exploration & Operations Mission Directorate (HEOMD), and responds to State and Institution research priorities. In aerospace and deep-space explorations, lightweight polymer composite structures are a critical component, and yet debilitating incidents from foreign object impact are not uncommon. For these in-service structures, post-impact repair by humans is either inaccessible or impossible, leading to disastrous structure collapse and mission failure, hence the need to develop in-service self-healing materials. The project educational objective involves developing a “research-oriented approach” designed to attract and retain a greater number of high caliber students, including underrepresented minority students, in STEM disciplines, and train a larger number of high caliber STEM students for NASA related industry. This project brings together researchers and students from Louisiana State University (LSU) – the Louisiana flagship institution, and Southern University (SU) in Baton Rouge-the main campus of the largest HBCU system in the nation, supported by NASA researchers at a variety of centers and industries, for a collaborative project that will provide exciting new results for NASA along with developing an important new capability in Louisiana.

This is a mature technology (TRL 7+) — the realistic path in is usually NASA's Technology Transfer Program: licensing an existing NASA patent, or a Space Act Agreement to use NASA facilities/expertise directly. NASA also runs a startup licensing program with no upfront fee for companies formed to commercialize a specific NASA technology.

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