Advanced x-ray imaging of carbon fiber microstructure

Manufacturing defects are a complex and often expensive problem in carbon fiber composites. Understanding the underlying causes of various defects requires accurate characterization and, ideally, quantification. Characterizing fiber-level defects can be very difficult, as they cannot typically be resolved by conventional x-ray or ultrasonic imaging. While 2D sectioning methods can be used to study such defects, this approach is destructive and may not always capture higher-dimensional features.

Fiber microstructure can however be imaged in 3D using advanced x-ray imaging techniques like synchrotron-based computed tomography (CT). Using this technique, we can non-destructively image subtle fiber-level features like wrinkling, misalignment, and fiber-particle interactions in 3D. This type of imaging can even be done in situ, to capture defects as they form during the curing process or for different part geometries.

This talk will cover results of recent collaborations between the Composites Research Network and the Canadian Light Source (Canada’s national synchrotron facility) to develop new tools to characterize fiber-level defects and better understand how they form.

Presenter:

Toby Bond
Senior Scientist, Canadian Light Source Inc.

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