Computational analysis of the structural integrity of self-healing composites

This paper presents a computational and experimental investigation of the influence of self-healing micro-vessels on the structural properties of laminated composites. Embedded selfhealing system is rapidly emerging as an important technology for improving the damage resistance of laminated composites. Introduction of hollow fibres or hollow spheres can, however, potentially weaken the structure and lead to excessive reduction in mechanical performance of composites. In this research, computational simulation is carried out to investigate the effect of embedded microvascular vessels on the mechanical properties of self-healing composite, focusing on the stress concentrations around self-healing vessels and delamination cracking.