Non-Destructive Evaluation of In-Plane Waviness in Carbon Fiber Laminates Using Eddy Current Testing

• Published in: Applied sciences 2023-05, Vol.13 (10), p.6009
• Main Authors: Newton, Matthew, Chowdhury, Tonoy, Gravagne, Ian, Jack, David
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: carbon fiber composite; Carbon fiber reinforced plastics; Carbon fibers; Comparative analysis; Computed tomography; CT imaging; Eddy current testing; Eddy currents; Electroconvulsive therapy; Fiber orientation; in-plane wrinkle; Laminated materials; Laminates; Manufacturing; Mechanical properties; Medical imaging; Methods; non-destructive testing; Nondestructive testing; Parameter estimation; Ultrasonic testing; Waviness
• ISSN: 2076-3417; 2076-3417
• DOI: 10.3390/app13106009

Non-destructive detection of the in-plane waviness of carbon fiber-reinforced plastic (CFRP) laminates is of interest in a wide variety of industries, as wrinkles and other fiber alignment defects significantly impact the mechanical performance of the composites. This work demonstrates a method to detect in-plane wrinkles on a 5-ply unidirectional CFRP laminate with a customized eddy current testing (ECT) system. The results show that the ECT system is effective in detecting and quantifying in-plane waviness, and the results are compared to conventional X-ray computed tomography (CT) and ultrasonic testing (UT) methods. Using the anisotropic conductive nature of the aligned CFRP lamina, the ECT system was able to clearly detect throughout the part changes in the local fiber orientation, wave tangent angle, and wrinkle width.