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The objective of this work was to demonstrate the use of ultrasonics to determine the end-of-cure for autoclave cured, graphite/epoxy composite laminates. The fundamental benefit of this work will be understanding when to complete the temperature hold and cool down the autoclave and, therefore, consistently produce composite laminates with the desired material properties. An additional benefit is the ability to follow the changing viscosity of the resin during the initial part ofthe cure.The general approach to this program involved using pulse-echo ultrasonics to measure the transit time for longitudinal ultrasonic waves to pass through a graphite/epoxy composite laminate during cure. Sixteen, 32 and 64 ply [0/90]s graphite/Fiberite 934 epoxy panels were fabricated and cured to various end-ofcure conditions. Additionally, panels with various starting conditions were run. Sound speed was calculated using the panel thickness (number of plies multiplied by the manufacturer specified thickness of each ply) divided by the measured transit time. * formerly of the carderock Division Naval Surface Warfare Center, Annapolis, MD 21402 72 / SPIE Vol. 2948 O-8194-2352-1/96/$6.OO Downloaded From: http://proceedings.spiedigitallibrary.org/ on 06/21/2016 Terms of Use: http://spiedigitallibrary.org/ss/TermsOfUse.aspxMechanical (maximum fiber stress and maximum strain) and glass transition temperature (Tg) tests are being performed on all the fabricated panels. Determining the relationships between the velocity profiles, mechanical properties, and Tg data is in progress. Ultimately, the goal is to understand the relationship between the ultrasonic data and state-of-cure, and to incorporate the ultrasonic sensor into an operational expert system for sensor feedback control of the autoclave process.BACKGROUND

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The MSX Contamination Experiment team was responsible for establishing design and operational guidelines and the contamination control plan for the Midcourse Space Experiment (MSX), as well as for tracking hardware cleanliness prior to launch. The approaches taken and the results are described.