Carbon Fiber Reinforced Polymers (2nd Edition)

Dear Colleagues,

The current demand for lightweight and high-performance structures leads to increasing applications of carbon fiber reinforced polymers (CFRPs), made possible also by novel production methods, automation with repeatable quality, reduced cost of carbon fibers, out-of-autoclave processes like resin transfer molding and resin infusion technologies, re-use of waste fibers, development in preform technology, high-performance fast curing resins, etc.

Moreover, the diffusion of multi-material design, where metallic and non-metallic materials are used together to fabricate the same component, has driven the research towards efficient joining technologies of metals to carbon fiber-reinforced composites. More recently, the introduction of nanofillers into conventional carbon fiber reinforced polymers offers the opportunity for combining the potential benefits of nanoscale reinforcement with well-established fibrous composites to create multi-scale or hierarchical composites, characterized by enhanced structural and functional properties.

This Special Issue aims to present recent advances in carbon fiber reinforced polymers, focusing on the emerging trends both in carbon fibers and matrix development and in composite manufacturing technologies. Original articles and review papers will deal with the following themes without being limited to them:

• Processing and characterization of fibers (from low-cost precursors or re-use of waste or recycled carbon) and polymer matrices;
• Microstructure evaluation;
• Physical and structural characterization and testing;
• Optimization of properties and processes including simulation over different length-scales;
• Novel applications of carbon fibers reinforced polymers;
• Multiscale composites;
• Advanced manufacturing processes;
• Novel joining methods, cutting-edge joining and assembly processes;
• Applications of CFRPs in different fields, also including renewable energy, infrastructure, and transportation;
• Durability of carbon fiber reinforced polymers.
• recycling of carbon fibers and new end of use solutions
• innovative matrices for CFRPs
• life cycle assessment.

I kindly invite you to submit a manuscript for this Special Issue. Full papers, communications, and reviews are all welcome.

Dr. Francesca Lionetto
Guest Editor

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Materials is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2600 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

• carbon fibers
• thermosetting resins
• thermoplastic matrix composites
• manufacturing technologies
• joining
• multiscale composites
• recycling
• sustainability

• Carbon Fiber Reinforced Polymers in Materials (32 articles)

Title: Impact of Basalt Chopped Fibers and Minibars on the Fracture Energy and Mechanical Characteristics of Conventional Concrete: Crack Mouth Opening Displacement Evaluation
Authors: Julita Krassowska
Affiliation: Faculty of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Bialystok University of Technology
Abstract: This study investigates the influence of chopped basalt fibers and minibars on the me- chanical properties and fracture parameters of concrete made with low-emission cement. A total of 32 series were tested, with variables including cement type, water-to-cement ratio, dispersed rein- forcement type, and amount of chopped fibers or minibars. The addition of dispersed reinforcement significantly improved the flexural tensile strength compared with the reference concrete, with bas- alt minibars being more effective than chopped fibers by approximately 30%. The series with low- emission cements showed similar strength increases to those with Portland cement. The addition of chopped basalt fibers increased the maximum load and extended the linear section of the P-CMOD relationship, but the effect depended on the amount of fibers and cement type. Concretes with basalt minibars showed a linear increase in the initial phase, with a higher minibar content extending this section and increasing the maximum load by approximately 35-40%. Increasing the fiber content significantly increased the critical stress intensity factor KIc, indicating a greater crack resistance of the concrete. Concretes with basalt minibars exhibited higher crack resistance than those with chopped basalt fibers, as evidenced by the higher critical stress intensity factor values. Microscopic analysis of the concrete fractures revealed different fiber behaviors: bridging, continuous, and rup- ture. Fiber anchoring depends on their orientation, with better anchoring increasing the load trans- fer efficiency and delaying crack propagation. Basalt minibars are often oriented near larger aggre- gate grains, reinforcing the cooperation between the aggregate and dispersed reinforcement. Con- cretes with basalt minibars met the residual flexural tensile strength criteria at fiber amounts of 4 and 8 kg/m³ owing to the long post-peak range of the P-CMOD diagram. The minibar bridge stresses the concrete and maintains significant residual strength even at higher CMOD values, making them suitable for structural applications where they can replace traditional reinforcement.

Title: Strategy to Enhance the Collapse Capacity of Composite Cylindrical Tubes: Experiments and Simulations
Authors: Akash Pandey, Siddharth Jain, Arun Shukla*
Affiliation: University of Rhode Island