Self‐Healing Materials in Aerospace Applications

Fiber reinforced composites (FRCs) were used in various applications due to its advantages of high strength to weight ratio. So, FRC was found to be one of the most preferred material in aerospace applications. But, one major limitation of FRC was the formation of micro-cracks when the material is subjected to impact load. It reduces the life span of the material and creates riskiness to humans when used as engineering materials. In-order to overcome the limitation of FRC, many research works have been focused on development of self-healing composites. Self-healing composite materials are seen as a potential material in engineering applications. Healing of materials has been categorized into intrinsic and extrinsic materials based on the mechanism of healing the damaged region of materials during operating conditions. Extrinsic mechanism of healing approach is preferred in aerospace applications. This chapter discusses about the different types extrinsic self-healing materials used in aerospace application.