The key to reducing processing costs, improving product yield, and optimizing material properties in composite materials fabrication is the use of intelligent process control (IPC). IPC completes the processing feedback loop by obtaining in situ sensor information, analyzing this information to make processing decisions, and then applying control parameters to the process in real-time. Information for IPC sensors must go beyond the traditional measurements of temperature and pressure, and include data such as resin viscocity, resin position within the mold, resin gelation-point, degree-of-cure of the composite, types of polymerization reactions taking place, presence of moisture, and the like. Two light-based sensors are described which have been utilized to obtain this information: (1) a novel infrared (IR) fiber-optic sensor, developed at BIRL, and (2) a commercially available index of refraction sensor. The information provided by these sensors relates directly to material performance. This paper also describes how neural networks were used to interpret the data collected by the IR fiber-optic sensor.

Date Published: 1 May 1994
PDF: 12 pages
Proc. SPIE 2191, Smart Structures and Materials 1994: Smart Sensing, Processing, and Instrumentation, (1 May 1994); doi: 10.1117/12.173965

Published in SPIE Proceedings Vol. 2191:
Smart Structures and Materials 1994: Smart Sensing, Processing, and Instrumentation
James S. Sirkis, Editor(s)