Polymer Cold Spray Repairs Composite Damage, Restores Up to 80% Strength
Rowan University researchers have developed a polymer cold spray technique that can significantly restore the strength of damaged composite materials, offering a rapid alternative to traditional repair methods.
Advanced composite materials, widely used in aerospace, automotive, and energy sectors, are susceptible to impact damage that can compromise their structural integrity. A multidisciplinary team at Rowan University has pioneered a polymer cold spray method to address this vulnerability, as detailed in the Journal of Thermal Spray Technology. This innovative approach aims to provide a faster and more effective repair solution compared to existing techniques.
The polymer cold spray process deposits fine polymer powders onto a damaged surface without requiring high temperatures. While cold spray is established in manufacturing, its application for on-site composite repair has been a persistent challenge. The Rowan team's specific methodology functions akin to a "dental filling" for composites, filling in damage and rebonding the material. This technique has demonstrated the ability to recover up to 80% of a material's original strength in cases of shallow damage, and approximately 40% for more severe damage.
This new cold spray approach significantly outperforms conventional resin-based repairs in both speed and effectiveness. Traditional methods can take up to 48 hours to cure, whereas the cold spray process can be completed in about 30 minutes. This rapid turnaround time makes it particularly suitable for urgent, on-site repairs. The study also identified that using an epoxy-based powder reinforced with chopped glass fibers yielded the strongest results, enhancing both mechanical property recovery and the material's resistance to further impacts.
The research, led by Behrad Koohbor, Francis Haas, and Joseph F. Stanzione III, involved extensive collaboration with students and researchers from the U.S. Army Research Laboratory. Potential applications for this technology are vast, including repairs for wind turbine blades, pipelines, aircraft structures, and various composite vehicle components, wherever these lightweight materials are employed and exposed to wear or impact.
This development in polymer cold spray repair addresses a critical need for rapid and effective damage mitigation in composite materials. The ability to restore significant mechanical strength on-site and in minutes, rather than hours or days, is a major advancement. This could be particularly impactful for maintaining the operational readiness of composite structures in demanding environments, including aerospace and potentially in-situ repairs for space exploration applications.
Edited by the news editor with AI from the original report — please refer to the original source.