Manufacturing process of a multifunctional composite panel with nanocharged matrix

This paper proposes an effective manufacturing process developed to overcome drawbacks that can occur using a nanofilled resin as matrix in aeronautical composites. Nanoparticles embedded in epoxy resins impregnating carbon fibers are able to improve a composite with new desired functionalities. As soon as the nanoparticles are dispersed in a resin, the viscosity dizzily rises and usually, the traditional manufacturing processes are not suitable to obtain a good quality of the manufactured panels. An alternative method has been developed starting from the Resin Film Infusion (RFI) process. This method has been firstly tested on several flat panels, and then it has been transferred on a more complex shaped panel with three stringers. In this work, a flame resistant resin based on a tetrafunctional epoxy precursor filled with carbon nanotubes to increase electrical conductivity, has been used for the panel manufacturing.