Fibre volume fraction screening of pultruded carbon fibre reinforced polymer panels based on analysis of anisotropic ultrasonic sound velocity

Composites have become the material of choice in a wide range of manufacturing applications. Whilst ultrasound inspection is a well-established non-destructive testing (NDT) technique, the application to composite imaging presents significant challenges stemming from the inherent anisotropy of the material. The fibre-volume fraction (FVF) of a composite plays a key role in determining the final strength and stiffness of a part as well as influencing the ultrasonic bulk velocity.