SELF-HEALING MATERIALS

HARISHSHARRAN.A.K.R
18MD38
 INTRODUCTION
 Self-healing materials are artificial or synthetically-
created substances which have the built-in ability to
automatically repair damage to themselves without
any external diagnosis of the problem or human
intervention.
 In general, cracks are hard to detect at an early
stage, and manual intervention is required for
periodic inspections and repairs. In contrast, self-
healing materials counter degradation through the
initiation of a repair mechanism which responds to
the micro-damage.
 Some self-healing materials are classed as smart
structures, and can adapt to various environmental
conditions according to their sensing and actuation
properties.
 CLASSIFICATION OF SELF-HEALING
MATERIALS
 Self-healing materials can be classified
according to various criteria. The most general
partition is based on matrix material, that is,
 Organic matrix
 Inorganic Organic matrix could be epoxy
resins and other polymers.
 Self-healing abilities are incorporated in
inorganic materials like metals, ceramics,
concrete and asphalt.
 Other possible classification of the materials
could be on basis of healing agent nature:
 Monomers and chemical catalysts.
 Metals and alloys with low melting
temperature.
 Shape memory alloys.
 Diffusing atoms of different inclusions.
 Bacteria.
Modern self-healing materials include glass,
rubber, plastic and metals.
WORKING OF SELF HEALING MATERIALS
Embedded healing agents

 The best-known self-healing materials have built-in

microcapsules (tiny embedded pockets) filled with a
glue-like chemical that can repair damage. If the
material cracks inside, the capsules break open, the
repair material "wicks" out, and the crack seals up.
 The main body of the material is a solid polymer, while
the capsules contain a liquid monomer (one of the
basic, endlessly repeated units that makes up the
polymer). When the material fails and the capsules
break, the monomer mixes with the polymer, more
polymerization occurs, and the damage is healed
effectively by creating more of the original material to
replace the damaged area.
Microvascular materials

 Embedded healing agents are simple and effective, but they do

have a drawback: interrupting the structure of the material with
capsules can actually weaken it, potentially increasing the risk of
failure
 The human body doesn't fix damage this way with makeshift
repair materials waiting inside every bit of skin and bone in case
we happen to cut ourselves or fall over. Instead, our body has an
amazingly comprehensive vascular system (a network of blood
vessels of different sizes) that transport blood and oxygen for
energy and repair. If damage occurs, our blood system simply
pumps extra resources to the places where they're needed, but
only when they're needed.
Shape-memory materials

 Shape memory works in a more complex way,

typically you need to heat or otherwise
supply energy to a material to make it snap back to
its original, preferred form.
 These materials therefore need some sort of
mechanism for delivering heat to the place where
damage has occurred.
 An embedded network of fiber-optic cables similar to
the vascular networks used in other self-healing
materials except that, instead of pumping up a
polymer or adhesive, these tubes are used to
feed laser light and heat energy to the point of
failure. That causes them to flip back into their
preferred shape, effectively reversing the damage.
Reversible polymers

 Some of the Polymers break apart to reveal what we

might think of as highly "reactive" ends or fragments
that naturally try to join up again. Energized by either
light or heat, these stray fragments naturally try to
rebond themselves to other nearby molecules,
effectively reversing the damage and repairing the
material. Some break to expose electrically charged
ends, which give the broken fragments a built-in
electrostatic attraction.
 Benefits of self-healing materials:

 Minimizing the production cost of various

industrial processes required for repairing
damage.
 Prolonging the service life of the materials.

 Reducing the inefficiency of the materials due

to degradation.
 CASE STUDY:
 This case study deals with the incorporation of
Self healing materials in cables which often
cannot be accessed for repair.
 The incorporation of self-healing materials
would effectively allow these systems to
maintain themselves, resulting in lower failure
rates, and longer operational lifetimes.
 Two types of cables discussed here are :
 Extruded polymeric cables
 Legacy fluid-filled circuits
SELF-HEALING FLUID FLUID-FILLED CABLES
 Fluid-filled cables (FFCs) exist in most
undergrounded power networks as legacy cables.
 FFCs are insulated by a layer of tightly lapped
cellulosic paper impregnated with a low-viscosity
mineral oil.

Schematic of self-healing material response post-damage

 Gnosys has developed a next-generation of
insulation oil that is self-healing and capable of
cross-linking in the presence of oxygen. Should a
breach in the sheath develop, the insulation oil will
react to form a solid plug, thereby preventing the
flow of oil. This self-healing fluid (SHF) is intended
to replace the existing oil within the cable, thereby
conferring self-healing capabilities without requiring
wholesale asset replacement.
EXTRUDED POLYMERIC POWER CABLES

 As with FFCs, the development of sheath defects

can significantly reduce the lifespan of a polymer-
insulated cable.
 In this case, the danger is due to water passing
through the defect and reaching the insulation.
 Here, the combination of water and high electrical
fields can cause accelerated degradation of the
insulation through the formation of dendritic
structures known as ‘water trees’.
 If allowed to grow, these can eventually cross
the insulation and cause its breakdown, resulting in
the failure of the cable.
 Gnosys has carried out extensive investigations
into the development of self-healing systems for
cable protection. Here, the use of a hydrophilic
thermoplastic elastomers (h-TPE) deployed as a
discrete layer positioned immediately under the
sheath is proposed. Should the sheath be breached
and water enter, the h-TPE will swell into the
damaged area, closing the breach and preventing
further penetration to the insulation.
Example water tree
 CONCLUSION

 Inconclusion, Gnosys is developing a range

of SHFs and materials to meet the
requirements of love-lived assets within the
power sector.
 REFERENCE
 Rhys Rhodes , Ian German, Susmit Basu, Gary C.
Stevens , “Self-healing materials for autonomous
cable repair”, June 2017.