A Comparison of Composite Specimens Damage area Measurements Performed using Pulsed Thermography and Ultrasonic NDT Methods

Carbon fiber reinforced plastics (CFRPs) are widely used in aerospace structures due to their high stiffness, strength and good fatigue properties. They are however vulnerable to loads perpendicular to their plane and, while impacted, can suffer significant internal damage decreasing their overall strength. Detecting and sizing such damage is an important task of the non-destructive inspection (NDI) methods. This study was conducted to detect and quantify damage in a set of six impacted even rectangular CFRP specimens designed from a MiG-29 vertical stabilizer’s skin. The inspection was done using the ultrasonic (UT) method (based on mobile scanner – MAUS V) and the pulsed infrared thermographic (IRT) method. Each specimen’s inside and outside (impacted) surface was inspected separately with IRT, while the outside surface was then inspected with UT. UT provided the most precise measurements of the damage area, while the IRT inspection of the outside surface (which would be accessible on a real aircraft structure) provided underestimated values due to the damage’s depth and geometry.