Non-destructive localization and characterization of artificial defects in a composite material for application in aerospace technology

Composite materials provide anisotropic properties due to their heterogeneous structure. Because of their large potential regarding light weight design, this type of materials is very suitable for aeronautic and astronautic applications. Non-destructive testing (NDT) methods of such materials have to be chosen carefully. Variations in chemical and physical properties on a mesoscopic scale across the sample complicate the generation of reliable testing results, that satisfy high safety requirements. In this study, a specimen, which is made of a composite material, is inspected using various NDT techniques, such as active thermography, computed tomography (CT) and ultrasonic testing (UT), to locate and characterize defects, which are placed within the sample on purpose. Additionally, Structural Health Monitoring (SHM) approaches have been considered to explore perspectives of monitoring the part in use.