BIO

Growing up, my family dinners revolved around scientific or historical debates – my father conducted scientific thought experiments while my mother posed questions about the impacts of historical events. That upbringing has impacted every aspect of my life and allowed me to bridge the gap between STEM and Liberal Arts. As an industrial engineering student, I have analyzed current inefficiencies in material cutting technology and my research strives to eliminate that. As a French language student, I can communicate across cultures and borders. Going forward, I hope my career continues to provide me opportunities to problem solve and bridge people and ideas.

Exploring the Impact of Cutting Techniques on CNTy Composites

Abstract

Carbon nanotube (CNT) composites and CNT yarn (CNTy) composites have the potential to produce high strength, lightweight composite materials for aerospace applications. There are issues cutting CNTy composites because of the poor interface between the yarns and the resin matrix, and the weak shear forces in the yarns. This causes delamination and compromises the structural integrity of the composite. This research explores the water jet, nickel bond blade, and sintered bond blade cutting methods to maximize the performance of CNTy composites by determining the least destructive cutting method. Using qualitative analysis with SEM and quantitative analysis with DMA and tensile testing, it was determined that UKAM Industrial Superhard Tool's "15HCU" sintered diamond blade is the best method for cutting CNTy composites and the water jet method is the worst.

Keywords: Carbon Nanotube, Composite, Cutting