Identifying microstructural features in unidirectional composite tapes

Carbon fibre-reinforced polymer composites (CFRPs) outperform most structural engineering materials in specific stiffness and/or specific strength, especially in their unidirectional configuration. Unidirectional composites can be found as individual structural elements in cables or pin-loaded straps; they are however most commonly found in the...

Method for the Microstructural Characterisation of Unidirectional Composite Tapes

The outstanding properties of carbon fibre-reinforced polymer composites are affected by the development of its microstructure during processing. This work presents a novel approach to identify microstructural features both along the tape thickness and through the thickness. Voronoi tessellation-based evaluation of the fibre volume content on...