Terahertz Detection of Composite Heat Damage

In this Phase I SBIR project, we propose to demonstrate the feasibility of a Time-Domain Terahertz (TD-THz or THz) system for rapid determination of the composite heat damage to airframes. The method employed will be capable of inspecting for heat damage underneath paint and coatings to detect hidden and early-stage degradation of the composite. We will experimentally investigate a BMI based composite before and after heat damage, and compare THz to other inspection methods for determining changes in the composite characteristics. The proposed method will be able to measure these properties on a wide variety of composite systems with a remotely positionable sensor. The sensor will be suitable for hand-held single point measurements; and adaptable to robotic or gantry scanning of large area regions. The reflection T-Ray sensor will have non-contact operation, with working distances adjustable from less than 1 cm up to 10 cm. Measurement will be real time, with waveforms acquired at rates up to 1000 Hz, allowing large areas to be scanned.