Date of Award

2018

Degree Type

Thesis

Degree Name

Master of Science in Chemical Engineering (MSChE)

Specialization

Materials Engineering

Department

Chemical Engineering

First Advisor

Richard Brown

Abstract

In this study, carbon fiber reinforced polymer (CFRP) was connected to either a stainless steel or titanium screw and then placed in a salt water solution, with measurements being taken using a potentiostatic electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (PEIS) system to determine each system’s impedance values at varying frequencies. The collected numerical data was then used to determine the number of interfaces within each sample via a modeling program in the PEIS system that used Randles Circuits (RC) in series. Samples were also examined using a scanning electron microscope (SEM) and an energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDS) system to determine if any products of the metallic corrosion had caused any mechanical damage to the CFRP. It was noted that the titanium exhibited stable impedance values over the course of the experiment while also not causing any damage to the CFRP structure. The stainless steel on the other hand exhibited more erratic impedance values of the course of the study while also showing apparent damage to the surface of the CFRP to which it was connected in the form of delamination.

Creative Commons License

Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.

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