Nondestructive Testing In An Automated Process Chain For Mass Manufacturing Of Fiber-Reinforced Thermoplastic Components

We report about the application of laser ultrasound for the nondestructive testing of carbon fiber reinforced thermoplastics (CFRTP). Up to now, the process chain for manufacturing and testing these components is not automated completely. For this purpose a laser ultrasonic system has to be optimized in all necessary hardware components for the ultrasound generation, detection and evaluation. This project concerns the design and development of a process adapted detection system. We report on the use of a continuous wave MOPA (master oscillator power amplifier) laser as the detection laser, in combination with a redesigned confocal Fabry-Perot interferometer as evaluation unit. A robot handles the complex shaped parts to guarantee best measurement conditions. The goal of this system is to measure a clip with a curved surface area of about 100 cm(2) in less than a minute, effectively enabling in-line quality control.