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Issued patent
Automated Guided Wave System for In-process Cure Monitoring of CFRP Composite Laminates
An issued NASA patent from the Technology Transfer catalog.
About this technology
Overview
In the polymer composites industry, cure cycles are typically developed from a trial and error or a more effective processing science approach to reduce the final porosity level in the composite laminate. Using an automated system, high-temperature piezoelectric transducers were utilized to interrogate a twenty-four ply unidirectional composite panel fabricated from Hexcel IM7/8552 prepreg during cure. It was shown that the amplitude of the guided wave increased sharply around vitrification and the TOA curve possessed an inverse relationship with degree of cure.