Applications of Carbon Fibre Reinforced Polymers (CFRP) at temperatures over 150–200 °C are becoming common in aerospace and automotive applications. Exposure of CFRP to these temperatures can lead to permanent changes in their mechanical properties. In this work, we investigated the effect of thermal ageing in air on the strength of carbon fabric/epoxy composites. To this end, accelerated artificial ageing at different temperatures was performed on carbon fabric/epoxy specimens. The flexural and interlaminar shear strengths of the aged specimens were assessed by three-point bending and short beam shear tests, respectively, and compared to those of unaged samples. For ageing at temperatures below the glass transition temperature of the resin, $T_g$, a moderate reduction of strength was found, with a maximum decrease of 25% for 2160 h at 75% $T_g$. On the other hand, a rapid strength decrease was observed for ageing temperatures above $T_g$. This was attributed to degradation of the epoxy matrix and of the fibre/epoxy interface. In particular, a 30% strength decrease was found for less than 6 h at 145% $T_g$. Therefore, it was concluded that even a short exposure to operating temperatures above $T_g$ could substantially impair the load-carrying capability of CFRP components.

Cruisers are multi-occupant solar vehicles that are conceived to compete in long-range (over 3,000 km) solar races based on the best compromise between the energy consumption and the payload. They must comply to the race's rules regarding the overall dimensions, the solar panel size, functionality, and safety and structural requirements, while the shape, the materials, the powertrain, and the mechanics are considered at the discretion of the designer. In this work, the most relevant aspects of the structural design process of a full-carbon fiber-reinforced plastic solar vehicle are detailed. In particular, the protocols used for the design of the lamination sequence of the chassis, the leaf springs structural analysis, and the crash test numerical simulation of the vehicle, including the safety cage, are described. The complexity of the design methodology of fiber-reinforced composite structures is compensated by the possibility of tailoring their mechanical characteristics and optimizing the overall weight of the car.

Laser shock peening has established itself as an effective surface treatment to enhance the fatigue properties of metallic materials. Although a number of works have dealt with the formation of residual stresses, and their consequent effects on the fatigue behavior, the influence of material geometry on the peening process has not been widely addressed. In this paper, Laser Peening without Coating (LPwC) is applied at the surface of a notch in specimens made of a 6082-T6 aluminum alloy. The treated specimens are tested by three-point bending fatigue tests, and their fatigue life is compared to that of untreated samples with an identical geometry. The fatigue life of the treated specimens is found to be 1.7 to 3.3 times longer. Brinell hardness measurements evidence an increase in the surface hardness of about 50%, following the treatment. The material response to peening is modelled by a finite element model, and the compressive residual stresses are computed accordingly. Stresses as high as −210 MPa are present at the notch. The ratio between the notch curvature and the laser spot radius is proposed as a parameter to evaluate the influence of the notch.

Resin transfer molding (RTM) technologies are widely used in automotive, marine, and aerospace applications. The need to evaluate the impact of design and production critical choices, also in terms of final costs, leads to the wider use of numerical simulation in the preliminary phase of component development. The main issue for accurate RTM analysis is the reliable characterization of the involved materials. The aim of this paper is to present a validated methodology for material characterization to be implemented and introduce data elaboration in the ESI PAM-RTM software. Experimental campaigns for reinforcement permeabilities and resin viscosity measurement are presented and discussed. Finally, the obtained data are implemented in the software and then compared to experimental results in order to validate the described methodology.