Effects of through-thickness dielectric sensor on carbon fibre epoxy cure monitoring

Abstract

Dielectric sensors are an appealing solution for in-situ cure monitoring of thermoset polymers and thermoset composites. Analysis techniques have been shown to produce highly accurate and repeatable insight into cure state metrics both during and after cure. However, most dielectric sensors only report data on the surface of the material that the sensor is in direct contact with, neglecting the remainder of the thickness of the component. This study evaluates a novel dielectric sensor which is designed with a 20 mm penetration depth to monitor through the thickness of the composite part. While the prototype sensor design was shown to influence the raw data signal, a correction factor was successfully applied, and signals were analysed in accordance with the standard set of dielectric methods. The corrected signal had good accuracy and repeatability across laminates from 2 to 20 mm thick, demonstrating a non-invasive, through-thickness monitoring for a range of part designs.