Composite Raised Features for Visible Impact Damage Detection
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Composite materials like fibre-reinforced polymers face challenges in detecting Barely Visible Impact Damage (BVID) caused by low-energy impacts, which can lead to unexpected failures due to the internal nature of damage, making it difficult to visually inspect and increasing material weight and cost for redundancy.
Innovation Solution
Incorporating non-reinforced polymer raised features on the surface of fibre-reinforced polymer components that incur visually perceptible damage at a predetermined impact energy threshold, allowing for quick identification of impacts above this threshold without affecting the main component's performance.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If composite components are strengthened or reinforced to withstand low-energy impacts, then reliability is improved, but weight and material cost increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies local quality by creating a raised feature with different material properties (non-reinforced polymer) at a specific location on the composite component. This localized area has lower impact resistance than the main fibre-reinforced structure, allowing it to fail first and provide visible damage indication without compromising the overall structural integrity and weight efficiency of the component.
2Reliability
If composite components are strengthened or reinforced to withstand low-energy impacts, then reliability is improved, but material cost increases
Solution Approach 1:
The raised feature is constructed from non-reinforced polymer, which is less expensive than fibre-reinforced polymer. This localized use of cheaper material creates a cost-effective solution that provides impact detection functionality without requiring expensive reinforcement of the entire component.
3Measurement precision
If visual inspection methods are used to detect BVID, then measurement precision is improved, but loss of time increases
Solution Approach 1:
The raised feature provides a visual indicator through physical damage (such as cracking, chipping, or deformation) that is easily observable. This visual change mechanism allows inspectors to quickly identify impacted components without time-consuming detailed examination, maintaining detection accuracy while significantly reducing inspection time.
4Measurement precision
If detailed visual inspection of reverse side or internal surfaces is performed, then measurement precision is improved, but device complexity and loss of time increase
Solution Approach 1:
The raised feature converts internal or reverse-side damage into external visible indicators on the component's outer surface. This eliminates the need for complex inspection equipment or disassembly procedures, allowing simple visual inspection to detect damage that would otherwise require sophisticated measurement tools or component dismantling.
Data Source
AI summary
A fibre-reinforced polymer component is provided which comprises a main portion comprising fibre-reinforced polymer and at least one surface and at least one raised feature extending from said surface. The at least one raised feature consists of non-reinforced polymer and is shaped to incur visually perceptible damage when the component is subject to an impact with an energy above a predetermined impact energy threshold and to resist an impact with an energy below the predetermined impact energy threshold. The at least one raised feature thus provides a clear visual aid as to when a component has experienced an impact with an energy above the impact energy threshold. Because the raised feature consists of polymer without fibre reinforcement, it is more fragile than the fibre-reinforced polymer main portion 204 and thus reduces the energy at which impacts may be detected.