Mechanical and non-destructive testing of composites

SED Research是一家加拿大小型企业，致力于开发由复合材料组成的大型卫星通信天线。在形成过程中，施加的压力和时间被认为是卫星中形成不良孔隙的关键因素，这些孔隙会降低卫星的机械性能，如刚度和强度。随着复合材料的重量越来越轻，尺寸越来越小（更薄），确定这些孔隙的位置，数量和对机械性能的影响对于确保可靠的产品至关重要。除了考虑复合材料的完整性外，复合材料还需要粘合在一起，这可能是失效的地方。**这项NSERC参与资助的总体目标是帮助SED研究评估不同制备方法下复合材料和粘合接头的机械性能。次要目标**是确定非侵入性测试是否可以用于预测所述机械性能。为了实现这些目标，我们将使用行业标准测试协议进行机械测试，以测量机械性能。在力学测试之前，我们将对样品进行无损检测（高分辨率**计算机断层扫描和超声波检测）。然后，通过非破坏性测试获得的结果将与机械性能相关联，目的是开发复合材料机械性能的非侵入性预测。复合材料在加拿大几乎所有的工程结构中都引起了人们的兴趣，从飞机和航天器到汽车和化学加工设备。这些复合材料的使用性能与制造过程中使用的设置有关。我们预计这项研究将揭示制造参数与复合材料机械性能之间的联系，并导致优化的制造设置，从而减少缺陷并提高性能。这些结果将有助于减少复合材料早期失效带来的经济负担。

SED Research is a Canadian small business which develops large satellite communication antennas comprised**of composite materials. During formation, the applied pressure and time have been recognized as critical**components in the formation of undesired pores in the satellite, which degrade mechanical properties such as**stiffness and strength. As composite materials are becoming lighter in weight and smaller (thinner) in size, the**importance of identifying the location, amount and effect of these porosities on mechanical performance is**critical for ensuring a reliable product. In addition to considering composite integrity, composites also need to**be bonded together, which can be a site of failure.**The overall goal of this NSERC Engage Grant is to aid SED Research with assessing the mechanical**properties of their composites and adhesive joints under different preparation approaches. The secondary goal**is to determine whether non-invasive testing can be used to predict said mechanical properties. To accomplish**these goals, we will perform mechanical tests using industry-standard testing protocols to measure mechanical**properties. Prior to mechanical testing, we will use non-destructive testing on the samples (high resolution**computed tomography and ultrasonic testing). Acquired outcomes from non-destructive testing will then be**related with mechanical properties, with the aim of developing non-invasive predictions of composite**mechanical properties.**Composites are gaining interest in almost every engineering structure used in Canada, ranging from aircraft**and spacecraft to automobiles and chemical processing equipment. The in-service performance of these**composites are linked to settings used in the manufacturing process. We anticipate that this study will shed**light on the links between manufacturing parameters and mechanical performance of composites, and result in**optimized manufacturing settings which will reduce imperfections and enhance performance. These results will**be beneficial in reducing the economic burden attributed to early failure of composites.