Design and Manufacture of Reference and Natural Defect Artefacts for the Evaluation of NDE Techniques for Fibre Reinforced Plastic (FRP) Composites in Energy Applications

摘要

The excellent mechanical properties, low weight, fatigue and corrosion resistance of fibre reinforced plastic (FRP) composites gives them considerable advantages in renewable energy, oil and gas and transport applications. The use of FRP composites has the potential to reduce fossil fuel reliance, consumption and greenhouse gas emissions. However, full exploitation is hindered by the diverse range of defects that can reduce the strength, stiffness and life of FRP structures. One of the challenges facing accurate and repeatable defect detection in FRP composites is the multitude of defect types that exist, each with characteristics that present different challenges to the NDE practitioner. In order for a particular NDE technique to achieve broad acceptance by industry, it is desirable for the technique to be able to detect a range of defect types with a high level of confidence. This paper details the design and manufacture of several FRP composite defect artefacts that have been produced to evaluate the detection capabilities of phased array and air-coupled ultrasonic, microwave, active thermographic and laser shearography inspection techniques. This work was undertaken within EMRP project ENG57 Validated Inspection Techniques for Composites in Energy Applications VITCEA [1].