Research Area
The non-destructive evaluation of carbon fibre reinforced composites using ultrasonic guided waves.
Research Outline
Carbon fibre reinforced composite laminates are increasingly being used in aerospace applications due to their high strength to weight ratio. However, low velocity impact can cause internal damage which significantly reduces the load bearing capacity of a structure.
Non-destructive evaluation (NDE) methods are therefore required to detect and characterise damage to these materials whilst they are in service. Guided waves can propagate over large areas of a structure, allowing them to be inspected more rapidly than with conventional ultrasonic techniques which require point by point scanning. This research aims to use ultrasonic guided waves to detect and characterise defects in carbon fibre reinforced composites through both finite element modelling and experiment.
About Flora
Flora completed a BSc MPhys in Physics at the University of Warwick in 2019. Her masters project involved developing single coil electromagnetic acoustic transducers (EMATs) for pipelines. The EMATS were used to generate torsional guided waves for long range ultrasonic inspection and defect detection in steel pipes.