Contrast mechanisms

in high-resolution acoustical imaging of

carbon fiber-reinforced composites

Laboratory of Acoustic Microscopy,

V. M. Levin, N.M. Emanuel Institute of Biochemical Physics, Russian Academy of
Yu. S. Petronyuk, Sciences, Moscow, Russia

T. B. Ryzhova N.E. Zhukovsky Central Aerohydrodynamic Institute,

Moscow region, Russia

Laboratory of X-ray Optics,

I. A. Artyukov
P.N. Lebedev Physical Institute, Russian Academy of Sciences,
Moscow, Russia
Fiber reinforced composites – materials with manageable structure
and controlled mechanical properties s

lamina formation: D d
1D (prepreg plies) or 2D (fabric plies)
parallel packing of long fibers
embedded into matrix material.
D

laminate structure formation: D

stacking of individual plies the same or
different fiber orientations. D  d

Two different spatial scales:

1. micro scale of fiber package in individual laminae
– is defined by the fiber diameter d and interfiber distance s  d.
2. meso scale of ply stacking – is defined by the ply thickness D .

for fiber composites as a whole

Two sets of elastic properties:
for individual laminas
Ultrasound as an efficient tool for non-destructive study and
assessment of fiber reinforced composite materials
Main observing bulk structure,
objectives: measuring elastic characteristics,
revealing structural defects,
observing dynamics of structural changes under loading

different different different different

ultrasonic ultrasonic spatial areas of
frequency ranges wavelength resolution application

1 MHz 10 MHz 100 MHz 1 GHz

ultrasonic
f = 1 - 15 MHz f = 30 - 200 MHz frequency f
f = 100 MHz – 1.5 GHz

Industrial NDT: Impulse acoustic microscopy: Acoustic microscopy:

revealing large-sized integrity
violations (porosity, cracks,
delaminations);
Integral elastic measurements
 bulk mesostructure imaging; high-resolution surface
 revealing manufacture defects; imaging
 studying mechanisms of
microstructural damage
Local elastic measurements
 Scanning Impulse Acoustic Microscopy
- raster (point-by-point) image formation with probe pulses of focused high-
frequency (30-200 MHz) ultrasound;
- ultrashort probe impulses;
- reflection mode of operation – recording sequences of time-resolved echo pulses;
- electronic controlling a time-delay interval (“electronic gate”) that prescribes
parameters of the image being formed – position and width of a displayed layer
inside the specimen bulk .
Data presentation:
A – scans:
echo signal patterns at an arbitrary point of the
scanning area;
B – scans:
structure of an arbitrary transverse section;
C – scans:
structure of a lateral layer of a given width at
an arbitrary depth

3D structure recovering
Impulse acoustic microscopy of fiber-reinforced laminates
Operation frequency region f = 30 – 200 MHz

D >  >> d.
Scanning
system
acoustic
lens
CFRC specimen

A pulse of focused ultrasound propagates

through a system of fiber layers.

Spatial resolution of the probe ultrasound makes it

possible
to resolve individual fiber plies;
to investigate integral features of lamina
architecture in each ply of the laminate.
Topology of the main structural units
i
A. Fiber package in layers with different nfiber
carbon fiber
orientations
reinforced plastics
+450
A series of acoustic images (C-scans) of fiber
packing into layers of different orientations
in epoxy carbon fiber reinforced plastic
(00/+450/900/-450)4

Individual fibers ( 4-8 µm) are far

+90 0
out of ultrasonic resolution (30-60 µm)

Alternative mechanism of
fiber packing visualization

representation of small variations in fiber

450 packing:
irregularity in fiber density distribution
and weak angular misalignment.
Reflection and scattering of probe focused ultrasound at violations
of fiber package in individual laminae
X-ray µ-KT images of fiber
alignment in transverse sections at
the ply interface of a 4-ply [00,
900]s CFRC specimen,
Elettra, Triest, Italy, 2019

Yellow rings give sizes and

positions of the focal spot of the
ultrasonic focused probe beam.

1 mm
 Non-uniform distribution of parallel
X fibers along Y- and Z- directions normal
to direction X of fiber orientation.

Small-scale variation of elastic modules

along the Y- and Z- directions.
Characteristic width of the transverse elastic
inhomogeneity is compared with the focal spot
diameter.

Reflection or scattering of the focused probe

beam at the linearly distributed local
Y variations of elasticity.
Z

Presentation of fiber package in an

individual CFR lamina as a system of lengthy
strips and lines.

X-ray images demonstrate small-angular misalignment of fiber packing and occurrence of

individual fibers essentially perturbing the alignment.
 B. Geometry of ply package inside CFRC laminates
Preferable technique
– B-scanning
Geometry of the ply stack in a cross-section of a CFR laminate
(9 plies) as it seen in a B-scan:

surface

Visualization of the sequence

of ply-ply interfaces in the
CFRC specimen bulk

ply wrinkles Evaluation of ply stacking

waviness

specimen bottom
 Formation of the output echo signal by ultrasound reflected at the ply-ply
interface
The interface is formed by two identical fiber
reinforced plies I and II with different orientation
I of their hexagonal axes C.

axis C The incident focused is a cone of rays with

II incidence angles θ within the range 0 < θ < θm
axis C

θm

3D rendering of high-resolution X-ray Reflected beam:

image of a cross-ply interface - normal incident ray doesn’t reflect: R(θ) = 0;
- for inclined rays: R(θ)  0;

Echo signals from ply-ply interfaces are formed by reflection of inclined

components of the incident probe beam.
 Topology of matrix material distribution over the bulk of carbon
fiber reinforced plastic laminates
fiber fiber thin intermediate
reinforced  structural  layers of
composite elements polymer binding

Echo signals as a result of probe pulse

reflection from the intermediate binding Values of the echo pulses depends on
layers. thickness d of the binding polymer
layers.

|R0|
f = 50 MHz Reflection
coefficient as a
function of the
d intermediate layer
thickness d

d (μm)

Presentaion of non-uniform
Varying brightness in acoustical
images of CFRC specimens
as distribution of polymer matrix over
the composite volume
Displaying of binder pockets in stacks of
carbon fiber – plastic laminates

folds in prepreg
layers
Structure of a fiber fold

pocket of binding
Regular distribution of binding material
over the volume of a woven composite
Woven composite structure:

plane of scanning
binding for C-scan imaging
material
pockets

Results:
regular array of polymer
binding pockets

С-scan В-scan
Recovering 3D bulk microstructure in woven composites:
imaging of successive layers in a lamina stack
different positions of
the imaging plane

surface

1st layer

Changing geometry of polymer resin pocket distribution as

interface of 2nd and 3rd layers
the imaging plane shifts inwards the woven specimen bulk.
 Ultra-resolution imaging in acoustic microscopy of fiber
reinforced composites
Optical analog – dark-field
Receiving, recording and displaying echo signals imaging
resulted from probe impulse scattering at 3D and 1D
small-sized obstacles. carbon-plastic rib bar
3D objects:
- micron-sized voids;
- rupture points of individual fibers or fiber groups;
2D objects:
- broken fiber strands.

Fiber bundle disruption in the bulk

of a CFRC specimen

Depth of 150-200 µm
under the specimen
surface.
 Visualization of integrity violations in
fiber reinforced composites
Main goals of ultrasonic NDT-NDE:
visualizing and revealing various types of integrity violations
inside the specimen bulk.
Macroscopic defects - inclusions (voids,porosity), large cracks,
delaminations, etc are objects of industrial NDT.
In acoustic microscopy:
Imaging of macroscopic defects – voids, porosity, macro cracks and delaminations etc; is
based on the same principles that are employed in the low-frequency industrial NDT.

Objects of special interest:

extended defects of continuity with minimal values of their width:
L – defect length,
L >> ;
d – distance between crack edges (defect width),
d << 
 - wave length of the probe ultrasound.

The defect width d could be minimal - up to several nµ

but its length should be noticeably bigger than λ.
Can be visualized:

1) Cracks in polymer matrix, including closed ones.

matrix
crack

Acoustic image (С-скан) of a long crack of

small width inside polymer matrix material
 2) Zones of adhesion losses (debonding)
at the interfaces of fiber elements and matrix material.
interface crack
(debonding)
fiber element:
individual fiber,
thread (bundle)

debonding zone
polymer matrix

discontinuity width d debondings

interface crack along fibers
(debonding)

Electron microscopy of an
interface crack in the specimen
section perpendicular to fiber
package direction
Acoustical image (С-scan)
of an extended debondings
along 450-oriented fibers
3) Interlayer delaminations

L – lateral size of the delamination

zone
thickness d of the delamination zone

defoliation zone

interlayer
delaminations

shadows of delaminations on the

specimen bottom Interlayer delamination in the C-scan
Interlayer delaminations
in the В-scan
 00
Shadow imaging. tensile
900
00/900 interface
load 00
900/00 interface
A special case.

No visible defects –
00/900 interface
no reflected echoes
from defects in the
900-layer.

Dark thick lines –

shadows of cracks in
the 900-layer of the 900/00 interface
loaded sample.

before loading after loading

Shadow formation by multiple
scattering Incident and
reflected ultrasound

No additional reflected
signal from the crack area

Crack zone:
multiple reflection at
numerous matrix- fiber
debondings

shadow
area Transmitted
ultrasound
Matrix Fiber
material
Lost
adhesion
area
 Conclusions:

Formation of acoustical images of internal microstructure and bulk defects in the

carbon reinforced composite volume is based on a extensive combination of wave
phenomena being in ultrasonic interaction with structured media.
Here are presented possible mechanisms for imaging some elements of the internal
microstructure in fiber reinforced composites. They include principles of image
formation as for ordinary elements of structure, such as, fiber packing and ply
stacking as well as ways to display various types of internal microdefects.

In many cases our notions on destruction processes in fiber reinforced

composites are too primitive. Let me present to you a picture of
microscopical defects in composites as it is seen in X-ray microtomographic
image.
Microtomography can be applied in special case only; acoustical imaging is
a wide-spread technique. We have to seek ways to reveal all such defects in
acoustical images.
Future problems:
development of acoustic microscopy methods for finding and characterization of specific
structural violations that are revealed by THE X-ray microtomographic technique.

fiber inflection
long
zones in 900-
debonding
layer
defects in 00-
tensile load Ft layer

Multiple
cracks in 900-
layer

interply
delaminations

1 mm fiber rupture
1 mm

X-ray image of the [00, 900] interface X-ray image of the same structure after
structure before tensile loading tensile loading (Ft = 2.5 KN or t  0.94 Gpa)
Magnified X-ray image of the zone of maximal destruction presented in
the previous slide

Multiple cracks in the 900

layer. Cracks are normal
zones of fiber to the applied tensile load
inflection

Area of interplay
defoliation
Thanks for your
attention!