Developmento of Nondestructive Testing for Aeronautical Composite Structures

In recent years, composite materials have been used in airplanes, so its important to ensure
materials quality through NDT. Composite materials may be affected in manufacturing processes
and cause surface or internal structure defects in the material. Materials quality in this case
ensure a safe flying.
Manual checking: an inspector is sable to detect surface defects and delaminating an pore in
sheet laminate.
Penetrating: this was taken from metal NDT but its been applied on composite materials
becoming more sensitive and practical.
Acoustic Vibration Testing: designed just for composite laminate. Staveley Company presented an
equipment for this testing called Sonic Bondmaster which had five operating modes.
Ultrasonic: Boeing Group founded that ultrasonic testing in composite can test defects and give
the strength propiertes after damage.
Acoustic Emission: this testing may detect fiber cracking and peeling off between fiber and matrix.
Acoustic-Ultrasonic: this testing may analyze strength and stiffness propierties by analyzing a
signal called SWF.
Acoustic microscope: this approach is effective to low energy impact defects in carbn/epoxy
laminate, using a power high up to 5 micrometers. Some equipment may detect the depth of
defects or mechanical propierties.
Eddy current testing: is fit for carbn composites, it may detect impact damage near the surface
which can not be detected by visual inspection.
Microwave testing: microwave easily penetrate epoxy matrix, but defects can change this waves
so this test compares the wave before and after penetration.
Nuclear magnetic resonance: this approach may give information about the matrix propierties such
as viscosity and humidity.
Infrared termal wave imaging: the nearer the defect is to the surface the higher the temperatura
gradient is.
X-ray: detects 3-D defects, its now used synchroton X-ray radiation to detect defects and
composite propierties.
Microcomputed tomography: gets geometrical information about composite internal microstructure.
Laser digital imaging: this approach is specific for composite materials and obtains information
about composite structure through interference pattern.
Bibliography:
Yiang, H. (2013). Development of Nondestructive Testing for Aeronautical Composite Structures.
Springer, 52, pages 1-8. 10th April 2015, Biblioteca EPN Base de datos.