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Tutorial for Collecting and Processing Images of Composite Structures to Determine the Fiber Volume FractionFiber-reinforced composite structures have become more common in aerospace components due to their light weight and structural efficiency. In general, the strength and stiffness of a composite structure are directly related to the fiber volume fraction, which is defined as the fraction of fiber volume to total volume of the composite. The most common method to measure the fiber volume fraction is acid digestion, which is a useful method when the total weight of the composite, the fiber weight, and the total weight can easily be obtained. However, acid digestion is a destructive test, so the material will no longer be available for additional characterization. Acid digestion can also be difficult to machine out specific components of a composite structure with complex geometries. These disadvantages of acid digestion led the author to develop a method to calculate the fiber volume fraction. The developed method uses optical microscopy to calculate the fiber area fraction based on images of the cross section of the composite. The fiber area fraction and fiber volume fraction are understood to be the same, based on the assumption that the shape and size of the fibers are consistent in the depth of the composite. This tutorial explains the developed method for optically determining fiber area fraction performed at NASA Langley Research Center.
Document ID
20170001570
Acquisition Source
Langley Research Center
Document Type
Contractor Report (CR)
Authors
Conklin, Lindsey (National Inst. of Aerospace Hampton, VA, United States)
Date Acquired
February 14, 2017
Publication Date
January 1, 2017
Subject Category
Composite Materials
Report/Patent Number
NASA/CR-2017-219365
NF1676L-24995
Funding Number(s)
WBS: WBS 869021.04.07.01.13
CONTRACT_GRANT: NNL09AA00A
Distribution Limits
Public
Copyright
Work of the US Gov. Public Use Permitted.

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