NDT Technology

NDT Technology

Application of Through Transmission Ultrasonic Evaluation in Carbon Fiber Reinforced Composites

Document Type : Original Article

Authors
Mahdi Shahabi 1
Davod Akbari 2
1 Department of Mechanical Engineering, Tarbiat Modares University, Tehran, Iran
2 Department of Mechanical Engineering, Tarbiat Modares University, Tehran, Iran.
10.30494/jndt.2024.476759.1153
Abstract
The application of composite components has significantly increased in the various industries, including oil and gas, aerospace, marine, and automotive sectors. Among these, carbon fiber reinforced polymers (CFRP) are particularly prevalent in the aerospace industry due to their superior properties like high strength to weigh ratio. Given the critical nature of these composites, non-destructive inspection is essential to ensure their integrity and performance. Ultrasonic testing is one of the most widely used methods for inspecting these materials. Recent research has focused on the application of ultrasonic testing for the non-destructive inspection of CFRP parts. This study investigates the feasibility of using through-transmission ultrasonic testing with a water jet technique for inspecting of the CFRP components. Additionally, it examines the relationship between flexural properties and the intensity of transmitted waves in multilayer composite materials. For this purpose, some samples were fabricated from epoxy-carbon fiber using the hand lay-up method. A through-transmission ultrasonic non-destructive testing setup with a water jet system was designed and constructed, and ultrasonic testing was performed to identify defects in these samples. In this set-up, a uniform water column is used to transmit the pressure wave from the transducer to the surface of the samples under test, which replaces the couplant material. Subsequent bending tests were conducted to determine the flexural properties of the samples. The analysis revealed that an increase in the number of layers led to a decrease in both the final flexural strength and the average intensity of the transmitted wave, attributed to the higher likelihood of structural defects in samples with more layers. Subsequent bending tests were conducted to determine the flexural properties of the samples. The analysis revealed that an increase in the number of layers led to a decrease in both the final flexural strength and the average intensity of the transmitted wave, attributed to the higher likelihood of structural defects in samples with more layers.
Keywords
through-transmission ultrasonic testing
Carbon Fiber Reinforced Composites
water jet technique
Non-destructive testing

Subjects

[1] Kaw, A. K. (2006). Mechanics of composite
material (2nd ed.).
[2] Heslehurst, R. B. Defects and Damage in
Composite Materials and Structures. CRC Press,
Taylor & Francis Group.
[3] Wang, B., He, P., Kang, Y., Jia, J., Liu, X., & Li,
N. (n.d.). Ultrasonic Testing of Carbon FiberReinforced Polymer Composites.
[4] Papa, I., Lopresto, V., & Langella, A. (2021).
Ultrasonic inspection of composites materials:
Application to detect impact damage.
International Journal of Lightweight Materials
and Manufacture, 4(1), 37–42. doi:10.1016/j.ijlmm.2020.04.002.
[5] Wróbel, G., Wierzbicki, L., & Pawlak, S.
(2007). A method for ultrasonic quality
evaluation of glass/polyester composites.
Archives of Materials Science and Engineering,
28(12), 729–734. Available online:
[http://m.www.archivesmse.org/vol28_12/281
24.pdf](http://m.www.archivesmse.org/vol28_
12/28124.pdf).[6] Wróbel, G., & Pawlak, S. (2007). A
comparison study of the pulse-echo and
through-transmission ultrasonics in glass/epoxy
composites. Journal of Achievements in
Materials and Manufacturing Engineering, 22(2),
51–54.
[7] Jin, Z., Huo, L., Long, T., Guo, X., Tu, J., &
Zhang, D. (2019). An Online Impedance Analysis
and Matching System for Ultrasonic
Transducers. IEEE Transactions on Ultrasonics,
Ferroelectrics, and Frequency Control, 66(3),
591–599. doi: 10.1109/TUFFC.2018.2889073.
[8] Arhamnamazi, S. A., Arab, N. B., Oskouei, A. R., & Aymerich, F. (n.d.). Impact
Area Assessment in the Carbon Fiber Reinforced
Polymer Composite using Radiography and
Ultrasonic C-scan testing methods.
[9] Braunschweig, W. H. D. Ultrasonic Testing of
Composites - From laboratory Research to Infield Inspections. NDT.net.
[10] Papa, I., Lopresto, V., & Langella, A. (n.d.).
Ultrasonic inspection of composites materials:
Application to detect impact damage.
[11] Kandeil, Y., & Fahr, A. Ultrasonic C-scan
inspection of composite material.
[12] Hsu, D. K., & Hughes, M. S. Simultaneous
ultrasonic velocity and sample thickness
measurement and application in composite

  • Receive Date 03 September 2024
  • Revise Date 09 October 2024
  • Accept Date 17 October 2024