A Thermal Analysis Approach for the Detection of Damage in Carbon—Carbon Type Composite

Abstract

This research work focuses on the viability of applying a thermal method for detecting damage in carbon fiber and sandwich composites. The fundamental of the technique analyzed herein is based on changes in the temperature profiles as a heat flux travels through the material. A 3-D finite element simulation provides good qualitative results and an inexpensive tool for detecting the presence of damage and its exact location. The influence of parameters, such as damage depth, diameter, and limiting detection time is also studied. This thermal technique is also implemented experimentally in an attempt to detect damage. Experimental results are compared to the numerical simulations in terms of damage locations and temperature trends. Damage is detected experimentally for metal surfaces and carbon fiber composite materials with simple structural arrays. However, for honeycomb composite materials, the detection of damage from the thermal standpoint was somewhat difficult due to the complex temperature profile generated within the material, due to its complex array of materials.