Evaluation of hygrothermal ageing in CFRP composite material using a non-destructive approach

Abstract

Hygrothermal (HT) ageing is a major concern for polymer composites in aircraft structures. An aircraft gets inspected after certain flying hours/cycles consuming man-hours, money and time. For economic inspection, non-contact, Non-destructive Evaluation (NDE) techniques can prove to be effective. This study presents NDE approaches using three such techniques, namely, X-ray radiography, ultrasound, and infrared thermography for evaluation of HT-ageing in Carbon Fiber Reinforced Polymer (CFRP) composites. For accelerating the ageing, specimens were subjected to a hot water environment up to more than 1000 hours at $80°$ C. It’s influence on different NDE parameters through each technique was investigated. Building on the findings, the effectiveness of these techniques for the evaluation of HT-ageing in CFRP has been demonstrated.