Fiber-Metal Laminate Manufacturing Technique

Fiber-Metal Laminates (FMLs) are composite materials that consist of conventional fiber reinforced plastics with the addition of a metal component, typically a foil or mesh layer(s). The metal component offers the advantage of incorporating metal-like properties to the composite construction. While a range of potential advantages and applications have been discussed for FMLs, the primary application to date has been for aircraft structures, with one potential advantage being the lightning strike protection (LSP) offered by the improved electrical conductivity. As aircraft construction has moved to composite structures, there has been an increasing need for such conductive composites. Similarly, with increasing use of composites for other large structures, e.g. wind turbines, there are an increasing number of potential applications for lightning strike protection materials. Other advantages of FML are improved impact and fire resistance. This innovation provides a method for making FML materials that incorporate nanotube reinforcement. The method involves the use of RF plasma spray to directly form and deposit nanotube materials onto fibers/fabrics, which can then be manufactured into composite structures by infiltrating the fiber with resin, and consolidating the structure via autoclave processing or via the use Vacuum Assisted Resin Transfer Molding (VARTM) composite manufacturing methods. Nanotubes incorporated into the structure in this manner can be of several types, for example boron nitride or carbon nanotubes. The objective of this innovation is to incorporate the nanotube materials in the FML in order to improve the mechanical properties.