Passive and Active Tagging of Glass-Fiber Polymeric Composites for In-Process and In-Field Non-Destructive Evaluation

Conventional non-destructive evaluation (NDE) methods are not very effective in monitoring the material conditions of advanced composite and adhesive joints. A technology that has been proposed to enhance the inspectability of advanced composites is the particle tagging technique. Two theoretical models were recently proposed to characterize the dynamic behavior of ferromagnetic and magnetostrictive tagging particles. These theoretical models concerning the development of an active tagging technique with embedded ferromagnetic and magnetostrictive particles and magnetic excitation are now experimentally verified. The experimental results of the active particle tagging shows a variation in the dynamic response of the specimens when defects and/or damage are present. The sensory signature from a tagged polymer is extracted as a result of the interaction between the embedded particles and their host matrix. A study of various types of composites and tagging particles for passive and active tagging was performed. Experimental validation of concepts for tagging of structural materials for on-site inspection prior to installation have also been explored. The on-site particle tagging inspection has been verified on laboratory specimens obtained from industry and was shown to be very efficient.