Study of failure mechanisms of CFRP under mechanical load by impulse acoustic microscopy

Non-destructive inspection of carbon fiber-reinforced (CFR) composites applied to aerospace industry attracts wide attention. In this article, high frequency (50-100 MHz) focused ultrasound has been applied to study defects and destruction processes in the bulk microstructure of the CFR material and constructions under the mechanical loading. It has been shown that the impulse acoustic microscopy provides detecting areas of structural failures and adhesion losses at the millimeter and micron level. Behavior of the CFR laminate structure fabricated by prepreg or infusion technology has been investigated under the tensile and impact loading.
INTRODUCTION Application of fiber-reinforced polymers (FRP) is extensive in aviation industry due to their excellent strength-to-weight ratio. The sufficient strength is achieved by reinforcement of polymer matrix by regular packaging [...]