INEGI registers a new patent that improves the strength of composite materials

Better mechanical performance, stronger and resistant to delamination. These are the main characteristics of a new composite material, whose innovation led to a patent application in Portugal. The material and respective production technique were born from a partnership between INEGI, the Faculty of Engineering of the University of Porto, and the Chinese National University of Defense Technology.

The innovation lies in the introduction of layers of reinforced, high tenacity resin on the outer surfaces of the composite during the manufacturing process. A unique construction that gives superior properties to the material.

The use of composite materials is increasingly common, for example in the transport sector, where their rigidity and strength is essential to build lightweight, high-performance structures. Adhesive bonds of composite materials, however, are commonly susceptible to delamination failure – a phenomenon resulting from high loads, which results in the layers that make up the composite separating.

Lucas da Silva, one of the inventors of this material and director of the area of ​​Advanced Bonding Processes at INEGI, explains that the material "minimizes this problem, being able to better withstand loads that normally cause this early failure”.

According to the researcher, the materials created with this technique will be particularly useful in the automotive, transport and defense industries, in structures subjected to critical impacts. "Structures for absorbing impact in automobiles, for example, could benefit from the properties that this material confers. In addition to being resistant, they are lighter and have better performance than structures built with metal alloys."