Application of pulse acoustic microscopy technique for 3D imaging bulk microstructure of carbon fiber-reinforced composites

Impulse acoustic microscopy technique is applied for 3D imaging of bulk microstructure of composite materials. Short pulses of focused high-frequency ultrasound have been employed for layer-by-layer imaging of internal microstructure of carbon fiber-reinforced composite (CFRC) laminates. The method provides spatial resolution of 60 μm and in-depth resolution of 80 μm, approximately. Echo signals reflected from structural units – plies, fiber bundles; and microflaws form acoustic images of microstructure at different depth inside samples. The images make it possible to see ply arrays, packing of bundles in plies; binding material distribution over the specimen body. They reveal failure of interply adhesion, buckling of single plies and fiber bundles, internal defoliations and disbonds, voids in the specimen body. The series of successive images offer outstanding possibilities to reconstruct the bulk structure, to estimate local variations of properties, topological and geometrical characteristics of structural components. The imaging technique has been applied to study different types of fiber packing – unidirectional, cross-ply and woven laminates. Mechanisms of ultrasonic contrast for diverse elements in acoustic images of CFRC laminate bulk microstructure and structural defects are discussed.