Abstract
Carbon fibre composite materials are widely used in high-value, high-profit applications – such as aerospace manufacturing and shipbuilding – due to their low density, high mechanical strength, and flexibility. However, existing techniques for non-destructive evaluation of composite materials are limited and not robust. Thermography has been demonstrated to be a promising technology; however, thermal diffusion and uncontrolled uneven heating considerably degrade its capacity to detect thin planar defects in carbon fibre composites. In this study, we have developed a method, restored pseudo heat flux (RPHF), for addressing this problem. Unlike many existing methods, RPHF does not require prior knowledge about defect depth. A numerical simulation was developed, and three sets of experiments were performed using a layered sample. Results suggest that in comparison with other existing methods, RPHF does not require an accurate value for its input, thermal diffusivity. It provides a good approximation to heat flux distribution and significantly improves the detection capability of thermography when compared to several existing methods.
Acknowledgement
The authors sincerely appreciate suggestions and information on carbon fibre parts manufacturing and characterization by Dr. Terry Creasy. The authors also sincerely appreciate American Durafilm (http://www.americandurafilm.com/about-american-durafilm/) for providing free FEP and TEFP film for use in simulating defects.