<title>Electromagnetic nondestructive evaluation of composites for Navy ship applications</title>

Abstract

Glass fiber reinforced polymer composites are being considered by the U. S. Navy for top-side structures on ships. Electronic equipment and personnel inside these structures must be protected from electromagnetic interference and radiation hazards from friendly and hostile sources. Since these composites are non-conductive, metallic layers of various architectures, compositions, and lay-ups have been incorporated into them for electromagnetic shielding. This paper will present electromagnetic NDE data on some of these metal-clad, non-conductive composites. Low frequency eddycurrent test results will be compared to the electromagnetic shielding performance at microwave frequencies. Issues associated with corrosion will be discussed.