Shape memory polymer composites and their smart structural applications

Shape memory polymers (SMPs) and their composites are evolving intensively in smart materials research. These intelligent materials have the ability to keep a temporary shape and then recover the original shape when subjected to external stimuli such as heat, electricity, magnetic field, moisture, chemical stimulus, microwave, or light. The emerging development of fiber-reinforced shape memory polymer composites (SMPCs) has improved the inherent poor mechanical properties of SMPs. Moreover, the inclusion of various nanoparticles has enhanced the diversity in activation mechanisms and further improved structural and shape memory properties. The long-term behavior and service environment-based performances of SMPCs have shown tolerable parameters. The manufacturing of SMPCs ranges from classic hand layup to cutting-edge robot-assisted composite or additive manufacturing. With the increased demand for SMPCs in many engineering applications, numerical modeling and computer simulations have been established to understand the thermomechanical and shape memory behaviors of the SMPCs. Today, SMPCs are generally viewed as promising substances for engineered applications from microscale to large scale and have raised intense interest among the wider community of material scientists and engineers. This chapter highlights the smart structural applications of SMPCs intended for aerospace and space engineering