THE IN-SITU SENSOR-GUIDED PROCESS CHARACTERIZATION OF ADVANCED COMPOSITE-MATERIALS

This article describes the multifunctional use of fibers as reinforcem ents and acoustic waveguides for sensing the fiber-matrix interfacial conditions during processing. It is shown that monitoring the ultrason ic signal response through a reinforcing fiber in a composite material yields on-line information that is related to the densification of th e composite in the vicinity of the interface. Leakage of ultrasound fr om the fiber to the matrix is shown to be function of the density of t he matrix at the interface. It is also shown that these data can then be used to feed back to the process for optimization and control.