NDE Terahertz Wave Techniques for Measurement of Defect Detection on Composite Panels of Honeycomb Sandwiches

Terahertz wave (T-ray) technologies have become a popular topic in scientific research over the last two decades, and can be utilized in nondestructive evaluation (NDE) techniques. This study suggests an optimal scanning technique method for honeycomb sandwich composite panels, where skins were utilized with two different skins, namely, carbon fiber-reinforced plastic (CFRP) skin and glass fiber-reinforced plastic (GFRP) skin, as layers of the panel surfaces. Foreign objects were artificially inserted between the skins and honeycomb cells in the honeycomb sandwich composite panels. For this experiment, optimal T-ray scanning methods were performed to examine defects based on the angle between the one-ply thin fiber skin axis and the angle of the electric field (E-field) according to the amount of conductivity of the honeycomb sandwich composite panels. In order to confirm the fundamental characteristics of the terahertz waves, the refractive index values of the GFRP composites were experimentally obtained and analyzed, with the data agreeing with known solutions. Terahertz waves (T-rays) were shown to have limited penetration in honeycomb sandwich composite panels when utilized with a skin of carbon fibers. Therefore, T-rays were found to interact with the electrical conductivity and electric field direction of honeycomb sandwich composite panels with glass fiber skins. The T-ray images were obtained regardless of the electric field direction and the fiber direction. In the honeycomb sandwich composite panels with carbon fiber skins, the T-ray images with higher signal-to-noise (S/N) ratios depended on the scanning angle between the angle of the carbon fiber and the angle of the electric field. Thus, the angle of optimum detection measurement was confirmed to be 90° between the E-field and the fiber direction, particularly when using a carbon fiber skin.