Aeronautics composite material inspection with a terahertz time-domain spectroscopy system

Frank Ospald; Wissem Zouaghi; Rene Beigang; Carsten Matheis; Joachim Jonuscheit; Benoit Recur; Jean-Paul Guillet; Patrick Mounaix; Wouter Vleugels; Pablo Venegas Bosom; Laura Vega Gonzalez; Ion Lopez; Rafael Martinez Edo; Yehuda Sternberg; Marijke Vandewal

doi:10.1117/1.OE.53.3.031208

16 December 2013 Aeronautics composite material inspection with a terahertz time-domain spectroscopy system

Frank Ospald, Wissem Zouaghi, Rene Beigang, Carsten Matheis, Joachim Jonuscheit, Benoit Recur, Jean-Paul Guillet, Patrick Mounaix, Wouter Vleugels, Pablo Venegas Bosom, Laura Vega Gonzalez, Ion Lopez, Rafael Martinez Edo, Yehuda Sternberg, Marijke Vandewal

Author Affiliations +

Optical Engineering, Vol. 53, Issue 3, 031208 (December 2013). https://doi.org/10.1117/1.OE.53.3.031208

Abstract

The usability of pulsed broadband terahertz radiation for the inspection of composite materials from the aeronautics industry is investigated, with the goal of developing a mobile time-domain spectroscopy system that operates in reflection geometry. A wide range of samples based on glass and carbon fiber reinforced plastics with various types of defects is examined using an imaging system; the results are evaluated both in time and frequency domain. The conductivity of carbon fibers prevents penetration of the respective samples but also allows analysis of coatings from the reflected THz pulses. Glass fiber composites are, in principle, transparent for THz radiation, but commonly with significant absorption for wavelengths <1 THz . Depending on depth, matrix material, and size, defects like foreign material inserts, delaminations, or moisture contamination can be visualized. If a defect is not too deep in the sample, its location can be correctly identified from the delay between partial reflections at the surface and the defect itself.

CC BY: © The Authors. Published by SPIE under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 Unported License. Distribution or reproduction of this work in whole or in part requires full attribution of the original publication, including its DOI.

Citation Download Citation

Frank Ospald, Wissem Zouaghi, Rene Beigang, Carsten Matheis, Joachim Jonuscheit, Benoit Recur, Jean-Paul Guillet, Patrick Mounaix, Wouter Vleugels, Pablo Venegas Bosom, Laura Vega Gonzalez, Ion Lopez, Rafael Martinez Edo, Yehuda Sternberg, and Marijke Vandewal "Aeronautics composite material inspection with a terahertz time-domain spectroscopy system," Optical Engineering 53(3), 031208 (16 December 2013). https://doi.org/10.1117/1.OE.53.3.031208

Published: 16 December 2013

ACCESS THE FULL ARTICLE

JOURNAL ARTICLE
15 PAGES

DOWNLOAD PAPER SAVE TO MY LIBRARY