Mesostructure quantification of fibre-reinforced composites

Computer-aided image processing techniques are developed to determine the position of fibre from a cross-section image. Two-dimensional mesostructure information is obtained by constructing Voronoi Diagrams. Fibre misalignment and fibre waviness are analyzed from the images in successive sections. Three laboratory-made samples, including carbon-epoxy pultrusion, carbon-PEEK laminate, glass-epoxy laminate, are tested. A composite sample from Bombardier Aerospace and a multi-layer filament-wound tube from FRE Composites are also examined.; The paths of fibres in carbon-epoxy pultrusion sample are traced individually and fitted as sinusoidal functions. Misalignment angle distribution is also measured and it is found that it can be used to estimate the fibre waviness. In the analysis of the commercial filament-wound tube, an increasing trend of waviness from the outside layer to the inside layer is found.; Methods for quantifying fibre spatial regularity and fibre movement synchronization are proposed. From the two-dimensional mesostructure of the materials examined, it is found that high volume fraction gives more uniform fibre packing and more synchronized fibre movement.