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Flaw Detection and Localization in Curing Fiber-Reinforced Polymer Composites Using Infrared Thermography and Kalman Filtering: A Simulation Study

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Abstract

This article describes a novel method for detecting flaws in curing FRP composite materials while they are being manufactured. Such a method can improve the efficiency of the manufacturing process by minimizing, or potentially eliminating, the need for post-manufacturing inspection. The method utilizes a Kalman filter, a heat conduction model, and surface temperature measurements from infrared thermography to identify likely locations of flaw and/or curing anomalies. Specifically, a methodology that compares a metric of the time-history of Kalman filter corrections at different spatial locations to identify anomalous curing behavior was developed. Several numerical studies were performed using a previously-validated model to determine the proficiency of the technique. Results of the verification studies indicated that the proposed method was effective at identifying resin-rich regions without any modification to the detection criteria, while identifying resin-deficient regions required a more lenient detection criterion. In the case of multiple flaws, the proposed method was always able to identify the flaw closer to the surface, regardless of flaw significance, while the deeper flaw was only identified when the flaw was more significant than the near-surface flaw. The proposed method demonstrates promise for passive IR thermography-based flaw detection performed during the manufacturing of FRP composites and can serve to both improve the efficiency of the manufacturing process and the quality of FRP composite parts. Further experimental studies are required for validation of the technique before it can be applied for industrial application.

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Data Availability

The data produced for this article is available by request.

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The MATLAB and Python codes utilized for the analyses presented in this article are available by request.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Mechanical Engineering, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN, USA

    Chris Nash

  2. Department of Civil Engineering, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN, USA

    Pranav Karve, Douglas Adams & Sankaran Mahadevan

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  2. Pranav Karve
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Correspondence to Douglas Adams.

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Nash, C., Karve, P., Adams, D. et al. Flaw Detection and Localization in Curing Fiber-Reinforced Polymer Composites Using Infrared Thermography and Kalman Filtering: A Simulation Study. J Nondestruct Eval 40, 78 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10921-021-00802-9

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10921-021-00802-9

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