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Detection and Localization of Delaminations in Thin Carbon Fiber Reinforced Composites with the Ultrasonic Polar Scan

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Abstract

In this paper, the hybrid compliance-stiffness matrix method for simulating wave propagation in (delaminated) multilayered media with viscoelastic anisotropy has been confronted with high-quality amplitude and phase experiments on delaminated composites, obtained using the ultrasonic polar scan setup (UPS) in transmission by considering harmonic as well as pulsed ultrasound. Results are presented for multiple thin carbon/epoxy laminates with an artificial edge delamination induced by a foil insert, showing a good agreement between experimental recording and numerical modeling. The obtained results further reveal the feasibility of the harmonic UPS to detect and even locate the depth-position of multiple delaminations in fiber reinforced composites. Considering that the harmonic UPS method does not rely on the detection of different echoes like the classical C-scan, but rather expounds the conditions for efficient stimulation of guided waves in the solid, the method is found to be highly suited for inspecting thin composite materials for the presence of delaminations.

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Acknowledgments

Mathias Kersemans acknowledges funding of the FWO Vlaanderen (funds for scientific research-Flanders) through Grant G012010N.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Materials Science and Engineering, Ghent University, Technologiepark-Zwijnaarde 903, 9052 , Zwijnaarde, Belgium

    Mathias Kersemans, Joris Degrieck & Wim Van Paepegem

  2. Department of Physics, Catholic University of Leuven Campus Kortrijk- KULAK, Etienne Sabbelaan 52, 8500 , Kortrijk, Belgium

    Arvid Martens & Koen Van Den Abeele

  3. Department Mechanics of Materials and Construction, Vrije Universiteit Brussel, Pleinlaan 2, 1050 , Brussels, Belgium

    Filip Zastavnik, Lincy Pyl & Hugo Sol

Authors
  1. Mathias Kersemans
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  2. Arvid Martens
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  3. Koen Van Den Abeele
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  4. Joris Degrieck
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  5. Filip Zastavnik
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  6. Lincy Pyl
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  7. Hugo Sol
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  8. Wim Van Paepegem
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Correspondence to Mathias Kersemans.

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Kersemans, M., Martens, A., Van Den Abeele, K. et al. Detection and Localization of Delaminations in Thin Carbon Fiber Reinforced Composites with the Ultrasonic Polar Scan. J Nondestruct Eval 33, 522–534 (2014). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10921-014-0249-5

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10921-014-0249-5

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