Bismaleimide (BMI) composites are used in applications that require good mechanical properties at high temperatures. In this paper, a Non-destructive inspection technique for BMI composites which can be used at high temperatures is presented. Cavity based External Fabry-Perot Interferometer (EFPI) optical sensors have been developed and embedded in the laminates. These sensors are capable of operating in temperatures up to 800°C. The embedded sensors are used to perform real time cure monitoring of a BMI composite. The composite is cured using an out-of-autoclave (OOA) process. Once the composite is cured, the same sensors are used to measure mechanical performance of the laminate. The performance of the embedded sensor is investigated under tensile loading at room temperature as well as elevated temperatures.

Date Published: 16 April 2013
PDF: 6 pages
Proc. SPIE 8694, Nondestructive Characterization for Composite Materials, Aerospace Engineering, Civil Infrastructure, and Homeland Security 2013, 86940M (16 April 2013); doi: 10.1117/12.2009873

Published in SPIE Proceedings Vol. 8694:
Nondestructive Characterization for Composite Materials, Aerospace Engineering, Civil Infrastructure, and Homeland Security 2013
Tzu Yang Yu, Editor(s)