Generoso Iannuzzo

Self‐Healing Structures in Aerospace Applications

The present paper relates to autonomically‐healing composites which function actively and quickly at temperatures reaching as low as −50° C while maintaining the performance of the current structural composites. This is achieved thanks to the high temperatures possible for the formulation cure without deactivating self‐repair activity.

Dynamic Mechanical Properties of Structural Self-Healing Epoxy Resins

In this paper, we report the study and characterization of a multifunctional autonomically healing composite containing solid particles of Grubbs’ first generation catalyst and poly(urea-formaldehyde) microcapsules filled with liquid DCPD. This system, already reported in literature, in some respects shows great potential for epoxy structural composites: however, other aspects have to be explored in order to put to use in advanced applications. Here, we have determined the curing process to obtain the best mechanical performance without deactivating the self-repair activity of the material. It has been found that, for the same curing cycle, the presence of catalyst powder causes a slight decrease in the elastic modulus value with respect to the epoxy matrix. A large recovery in this performance is gained for the self-healing specimen, proving that the microcapsules contribute to improve the mechanical characteristics of the self-healing sample.

FT‐IR Investigation of Hoveyda‐Grubbs’2nd Generation Catalyst in Self‐Healing Epoxy Mixtures

The development of smart composites capable of self‐repair on aeronautical structures is still at the planning stage owing to complex issues to overcome. A very important issue to solve concerns the components’ stability of the proposed composites which are compromised at the cure temperatures necessary for good performance of the composite. In this work we analyzed the possibility to apply Hoveyda Grubbs’ second generation catalyst (HG2) to develop self‐healing systems. Our experimental results have shown critical issues in the use of epoxy precursors in conjunction with Hoveyda‐Grubbs II metathesis catalyst. However, an appropriate curing cycle of the self‐healing mixture permits to overcome the critical issues making possible high temperatures for the curing process without deactivating self‐repair activity.

Chapter 20 – Morphing Wing Integration

Abstract This work aims to define the assembly process of an outer wing demonstrator with morphing components. In general, the assembly of the outer wing must proceed in such a way as to ensure full compliance with the manufacturing schedule while minimizing possible resultant defects. In the chapter, the specific case study of “SARISTU” outer wing demonstrator is reported. Starting from the description of its structural components (wing box primary structure, trailing edge, leading edge, and winglet), a specific, accurate description of the basic jig characteristics, the tools used for components handling, and the tooling itself is reported, describing the entire step-by-step procedure that led to the delivery of the complete wing section.