Composites Assembly for High Performance Fastener-less Structures

Composites Assembly for High Performance Fastener-less Structures provides a broad and balanced span of information, covering both fundamentals and applications across academic and industrial state-of-the-art research and development on assembly, joining, inspection and repair of high-performance structures made from fibre-reinforced polymer composites and multifunctional nanocomposites. This knowledge is essential for the realisation of critical features in assembly and joining evolving procedures (across their design, development and performance analysis) in such multi-material systems, but also for the through-life maintenance of composite components used in a range of engineering applications such as those composite structures utilised for wind turbine blades, automotive parts, aircraft wings and fuselage. The book also addresses the non-destructive testing methods used to detect damage occurring in composite joints, which are essential to decide if the repair is needed. The book begins by providing a fundamental description of the requirements for composite joining, assembly and repair. It goes on to address a variety of joining and repair procedures in composite structures from thermoset adhesive bonding to thermoplastic hybridisation, through-the-thickness reinforcement and sandwich structures. Further chapters cover the reliable assessment of structure's damage tolerance and failure assessment procedures, including non-destructive inspections and image processing based structural health monitoring, and provide understanding of the most likely deterioration mechanisms occurring in processing and assembly of composite materials and structures. The book is wrapped up with the ongoing state-of-the-arts in multifunctional nanocomposites with application for high-performance structures for self-sensing, energy harvesting and properties tailoring. Composites Assembly for High Performance Fastener-less Structures brings together state-of-the-art practices for assembly, in-service damage and repair procedures along with the existing certification and repair regulations, followed by the futuristic opportunities for enabling and emerging polymer nanocomposites for smart structures, for an audience of academic researchers, advanced students, engineers and manufacturing professionals.