In-line Eddy-Current Characterisation of Carbon Fibre Composites

点击翻译按钮获取中文摘要

Carbon fibre reinforced polymers (CFRP) materials have become a workhorse of the aerospace industry. Automated fibre placement (AFP) systems have increased the rate at which composite materials can be manufactured, but there is a severe lack in quantitative quality monitoring techniques that can ensure manufacturing tolerances are met. One potential solution is to employ high-frequency eddy-current testing (ECT), which is non-contact and a high-speed measurement, making it suitable for in-line monitoring. The ideal time to inspect AFP parts is during manufacture so as to detect faults early when they can be corrected easily. However, the properties of uncured composite components behave very differently to cured composites and the inspection environments can also introduce unwanted sources of error. This research aims to develop an in-line and high-speed eddy-current inspection technique for characterisation of CFRP materials.