Nondestructive Instrument to Determine Composite Surface Activation State in Manufacturing Environment

With non-destructive composite adhesive bond strength evaluation systems becoming certified, fastener free “no-bolt� bondlines can be used in more structurally critical locations. However, quality assurance/quality control (QA/QC) systems still need to be developed to make sure the bonding process is adequate during the manufacturing process. Surface contaminants, such as release agents, have a known adverse effect on the bond strength. As such, a method of evaluating when the surface is free of these contaminants is critical for an effective QA system. These systems will ultimately save time and money by ensuring the adhesive bond is adequate during the initial manufacturing process and prevent needed post-bond repairs. In this proposed Phase I effort, TRI Austin will develop a laboratory prototype inspection system to evaluate the composite surface during the cleaning process. This will enable feedback to the cleaning system to ensure an adequately prepared surface and proper adhesive bond. The results from the developed evaluation system will be compared to other known laboratory methods. Composite specimens with known contaminants will be fabricated and tested for bond strength. Finally, those bond strength results will be compared back to the results from the proposed evaluation method to prove the viability of the system.