Fibre optics sensors applied to resin transfer moulding (RTM) in aeronautic: composite materials process optimization

Xavier-Alexandre Aduriz; Cyril Lupi; Jean-Luc Bailleul; Vincent Sobotka; Dominique Leduc; Nicolas Boyard; Nicolas Lefevre; Christophe Le Bozec; Xavier Chapeleau; Didier Delaunay; Christian Boisrobert

doi:10.1117/12.662607

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22 April 2006 Fibre optics sensors applied to resin transfer moulding (RTM) in aeronautic: composite materials process optimization

Xavier-Alexandre Aduriz; Cyril Lupi; Jean-Luc Bailleul; Vincent Sobotka; Dominique Leduc; Nicolas Boyard; Nicolas Lefevre; Christophe Le Bozec; Xavier Chapeleau; Didier Delaunay; Christian Boisrobert

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Proceedings Volume 6189, Optical Sensing II; 618904 (2006) https://doi.org/10.1117/12.662607
Event: SPIE Photonics Europe, 2006, Strasbourg, France

Abstract

We report below about the control of processing of composite materials in particular carbon fibre dyed into epoxy resin. In the aeronautic industry, structures made of such composite materials have a very high "mechanical property to weight" ratio and can for this reason successfully compete with metallic ones. Their utilisation is constantly increasing in this industry and this growth is leading to the development of RTM processes. In order to optimize these process nonintrusive and multi-parameter sensors are required to measure and track the internal evolution for the continuous control. We study and describe a fibre optic sensor which detects the optical refractive index variations of its environment during the fabrication of a composite part. The major innovative part of our approach is the mould which has been designed and instrumented to simultaneously provide the polymerisation degree and the refractive index analysis of the resin. From these data, we have been able to determine the thermo-optic coefficient of the resin when it is not polymerised and the evolution of the polymerisation degree versus the resin refractive index. So this result is using as calibration to determine a polymerization degree of the resin in an industrial mould.

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Xavier-Alexandre Aduriz, Cyril Lupi, Jean-Luc Bailleul, Vincent Sobotka, Dominique Leduc, Nicolas Boyard, Nicolas Lefevre, Christophe Le Bozec, Xavier Chapeleau, Didier Delaunay, and Christian Boisrobert "Fibre optics sensors applied to resin transfer moulding (RTM) in aeronautic: composite materials process optimization", Proc. SPIE 6189, Optical Sensing II, 618904 (22 April 2006); https://doi.org/10.1117/12.662607

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