Non-destructive evaluation of porosity and its effect on mechanical properties of carbon fiber reinforced polymer composite materials

In this work, an attempt is made to induce porosity of varied levels in carbon fiber reinforced epoxy based polymer composite laminates fabricated using prepregs by varying the fabrication parameters such as applied vacuum, autoclave pressure and curing temperature. Different NDE tools have been utilized to evaluate the porosity content and correlate with measurable parameters of different NDE techniques. Primarily, ultrasonic imaging and real time digital X-ray imaging have been tried to obtain a measurable parameter which can represent or reflect the amount of porosity contained in the composite laminate. Also, effect of varied porosity content on mechanical properties of the CFRP composite materials is investigated through a series of experimental investigations. The outcome of the experimental approach has yielded interesting and encouraging trend as a first step towards developing an NDE tool for quantification of effect of varied porosity in the polymer composite materials.

Non-destructive evaluation of porosity and its effect on mechanical properties of carbon fiber reinforced polymer composite materials

Structural adhesive bonding is widely used to execute assemblies in automobile and aerospace structures. The quality and reliability of these bonded joints must be ensured during service. In this context non destructive evaluation of these bonded structures play an important role. Evaluation of adhesively bonded composite single lap shear joints has been attempted through experimental approach. Series of tests, non-destructive as well as destructive were performed on different sets of carbon fiber reinforced polymer (CFRP) composite lap joint specimens with varied bond quality. Details of the experimental investigations carried out and the outcome are presented in this paper.

Acoustic emission techniques for NDE & structural health monitoring of advanced composite materials

Structural Health Monitoring (SHM) is an effective extension of NDE to reduce down time and cost of Inspection of structural components. On – line monitoring is an essential part of SHM. Acoustic Emission Techniques have most of the desirable requirements of an effective SHM tool. With the kind of advancement seen in the last couple of decades in the field of electronics, computers and signal processing technologies it can only be more helpful in obtaining better and meaningful quantitative results which can further enhance the potential of AET for the purpose. Advanced Composite materials owing to their specific high performance characteristics are finding a wide range of engineering applications. Testing and Evaluation of this category of materials and SHM of composite structures have been very challenging problems due to the very nature of these materials. Mechanical behaviour of fiber composite materials under different loading conditions is complex and involves different types of failure mechanisms. This is where the potential of AET can be exploited effectively. This paper presents an over view of some relevant studies where AET has been utilised to test, evaluate and monitor health of composite structures.

Non-Destructive Evaluation of Defects and Damage in Composite Materials and Structures

The mechanical behaviour of composite materials differs from that of conventional structural materials owing to their heterogeneous and anisotropic nature. Different types of defects and anomalies get induced in these materials during the fabrication process. Further, during their service life, the components made of composite materials develop different types of damage. The performance and life of such components is governed by the combined effect of all these defects and damage. While porosity, voids, inclusions etc., are some defects those can get induced during the fabrication of composites, matrix cracks, interface debonds, delaminations and fiber breakage are major types of service induced damage which are of concern. During the service life of components made of composites, one type of damage can grow and initiate another type of damage. For example, matrix cracks can gradually grow to the interface and initiate debonds. Interface debonds in a particular plane can lead to delaminations. Consequently, the combined effect of different types of distributed damage causes the failure of the component. A set of non-destructive evaluation (NDE) methods is well established for testing conventional metallic materials. Some of them can also be utilized for composite materials as they are, and in some cases with a little different approach or modification. Ultrasonics, Radiography, Thermography, Fiber Optics, Acoustic Emision Techniques etc., to name a few. Detection, evaluation and characterization of different types of defects and damage encountered in composite materials and structures using different NDE tools is discussed briefly in this paper.

Study the effect of electrical and mechanical shock loading on liberation and milling characteristics of mineral materials

Milling is an energy intensive process and it is considered as one of the most energy inefficient processes. Electrical and mechanical shock loading can be used to develop a pre-treatment methodology to enhance energy efficiency of comminution and liberation of minerals. Coal and Banded Hematite Jasper (BHJ) Iron ores samples were taken for the study to know the effect of shock loading. These samples were exposed to 5 electric shocks of 300 kV using an electric shock loading device. A diaphragmless shock tube was used to produce 3 and 6 compressed air shocks of Mach number 2.12 to treat the coal and Iron ore samples. Microscopic, comminution and liberation studies were carried out to compare the effectiveness of these approaches. It was found that electric shock loading can comminute the coal samples more effectively and increases the yield of carbon by 40% at 1.6 gm/cc density over the untreated coal samples. Mechanical shock loading showed improved milling performance for both the materials and 12.90% and 8.1% reduction in the D-80 of the particles was observed during grinding for treated samples of coal and iron, respectively. Liberation of minerals in BHJ Iron ore was found unaffected due to low intensity of the mechanical shock waves and non conductivity of minerals. Compressed air based shock loading is easier to operate than electrical shock loading and it needs to be explored further to improve the energy efficacy of comminution. (C) 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

A comparative study of failure features in aerospace grade unidirectional and bidirectional woven CFRP composite laminates under four-point bend fatigue loads

Damage mechanisms in unidirectional (UD) and bi-directional (BD) woven carbon fiber reinforced polymer (CFRP) laminates subjected to four point flexure, both in static and fatigue loadings, were studied. The damage progression in composites was monitored by observing the slopes of the load vs. deflection data that represent the stiffness of the given specimen geometry over a number of cycles. It was observed that the unidirectional composites exhibit gradual loss in stiffness whereas the bidirectional woven composites show a relatively quicker loss during stage II of fatigue damage progression. Both, the static and the fatigue failures in unidirectional carbon fiber reinforced polymer composites originates due to generation of cracks on compression face while in bidirectional woven composites the damage ensues from both the compression and the tensile faces. These observations are supported by a detailed fractographic analysis.

Optimum Magnetic Circuit Configurations for Permanent Magnet Aerospace Generators

In the design of high-speed low-power electrical generators for unmanned aircraft and spacecraft, maximization of specific output (power/weight) is of prime importance. Several magnetic circuit configurations (radial-field, axial-field, flux-squeezing, homopolar) have been proposed, and in this paper the relative merits of these configurations are subjected to a quantitative investigation over the speed range 10 000–100000 rev/min and power range 250 W-10 kW. The advantages of incorporating new high energy-density magnetic materials are described. Part I deals with establishing an equivalent circuit for permanent-magnet generators. For each configuration the equivalent circuit parameters are related to the physical dimensions of the generator components and an optimization procedure produces a minimum volume design at discrete output powers and operating speeds. The technique is illustrated by a quantitative comparison of the specific outputs of conventional radial-field generators with samarium cobalt and alnico magnets. In Part II the specific outputs of conventional, flux-squeezing, and claw-rotor magnetic circuit configurations are compared. The flux-squeezing configuration is shown to produce the highest specific output for small sizes whereas the conventional configuration is best at large sizes. For all sizes the claw-rotor configuration is significantly inferior. In Part III the power densities available from axial-field and flux-switching magnetic circuit configurations are maximized, over the power range 0.25-10 kW and speed range 10 000–100000 rpm, and compared to the results of Parts I & II. For the axial-field configuration the power density is always less than that of the conventional and flux-squeezing radial-field configurations. For the flux-switching generator, which is able to withstand relatively high mechanical forces in the rotor, the power density is again inferior to the radial-field types, but the difference is less apparent for small (low power, high speed) generator sizes. From the combined results it can be concluded that the flux-squeezing and conventional radial-field magnetic circuit configurations yield designs with minimum volume over the power and speed ranges considered. © 1985, IEEE. All rights reserved.

Impact of composite manufacturing constraints on aerospace stiffened panel design

This paper reports on a design study assessing the impact of laminate manufacturing constraints on the structural performance and weight of composite stiffened panels. The study demonstrates that maximizing ply continuity results in weight penalties, while various geometric constraints related to manufacture and repair can be accommodated without significant weight penalties, potentially generating robust flexible designs.

Impact of composite ply continuity constraints on aerospace stiffened panel design

Considering the development of aerospace composite components, designing for reduced manufacturing layup cost and structural complexity is increasingly important. While the advantage of composite materials is the ability to tailor designs to various structural loads for minimum mass, the challenge is obtaining a design that is manufacturable and minimizes local ply incompatibility. The focus of the presented research is understanding how the relationships between mass, manufacturability and design complexity, under realistic loads and design requirements, can be affected by enforcing ply continuity in the design process. Presented are a series of sizing case studies on an upper wing cover, designed using conventional analyses and the tabular laminate design process. Introducing skin ply continuity constraints can generate skin designs with minimal ply discontinuities, fewer ply drops and larger ply areas than designs not constrained for continuity. However, the reduced design freedom associated with the addition of these constraints results in a weight penalty over the total wing cover. Perhaps more interestingly, when considering manual hand layup the reduced design complexity is not translated into a reduced recurring manufacturing cost. In contrast, heavier wing cover designs appear to take more time to layup regardless of the laminate design complexity. © 2012 AIAA.

Benefits of Implementing Lean Practices and the Impact of the Lean Aerospace Initiative in the Defense Aerospace Industry and Government Agencies

In the 1980’s, many United States industrial organizations started developing new production processes to improve quality, reduce cost, and better respond to customer needs and the pressures of global competition. This new paradigm was coined Lean Production (or simply “Lean”) in the book The Machine That Changed The World published in 1990 by researchers from MIT’s International Motor Vehicle Program. In 1993, a consortium of US defense aerospace firms and the USAF Aeronautical Systems Center, together with the AFRL Materials and Manufacturing Directorate, started the Lean Aircraft Initiative (LAI) at MIT. With expansion in 1998 to include government space products, the program was renamed the Lean Aerospace Initiative. LAI’s vision is to “Significantly reduce the cost and cycle time for military aerospace products throughout the entire value chain while continuing to improve product performance.” By late 1998, 23 industry and 13 government organizations with paying memberships, along with MIT and the UAW were participating in the LAI.

Healable polymeric materials: a tutorial review

Given the extensive use of polymers in the modern age with applications ranging from aerospace components to microcircuitry, the ability to regain the mechanical and physical characteristics of complex pristine materials after damage is an attractive proposition. This tutorial review focusses upon the key chemical concepts that have been successfully utilised in the design of healable polymeric materials.