a b s t r a c tEddy current testing is well established for non-destructive testing of electrical conductive materials [1]. The development of radio frequency (RF) eddy current technology with frequency ranges up to 100 MHz made it possible to extend the classical fields of application even towards less conductive materials like CFRP [2][3]( Table 2). It turns out that RF eddy current technology on CFRP generates a growing number of valuable information for comprehensive material diagnostic. Both permittivity and conductivity of CFRP influence the complex impedance measured with RF eddy current devices. The electrical conductivity contains information about fiber texture like orientations, gaps or undulations in a multilayered material. The permittivity characterization influenced by dielectric properties allows the determination of local curing defects on CFRP e.g. hot spots, thermal impacts or polymer degradation. An explanation for that effect is seen in the measurement frequency range and the capacitive structure of the carbon rovings. Using radio wave frequencies for testing, the effect of displacement currents cannot be neglected anymore. The capacitive structures formed by the carbon rovings is supposed to further strengthen the dielectric influences on eddy current measurement signal [3]. This report gives an overview of several realized applications and should be understood as a general introduction of CFRP testing by HF Radio Wave techniques.

For the manufacturing of load-bearing carbon fibre reinforced plastics (CFRP) made from staple carbon fibres (CF) , statements of the CF fibre length in the composite are essential. However, no suitable fibre length measuring method is currently available for long staple CF over 60 mm. The aim of this study is the development of an effective method for characterization of the fibre length distribution of long staple CF. For this method, a fibre beard specimen is extracted from a sliver manufactured from 80 mm staple CF, which is then scanned. Greyscale values densities (GD) of the individual length classes are determined from the scanned images, which correspond to the number of fibres per length class. From the proportion of all length classes, a span length diagram and staple fibre length diagram can be compiled. The results show the good potential of the method developed for the fibre length measurement of long staple CF.Key words: carbon fibre, fibrogram, span length diagram, staple length. single fibre bundle would cover the entire testing size.Another direct measuring method to test the length of fibres uses air canals and optical sensors (e.g. AFIS by USTER AG, Uster, Switzerland [5]). In this method, the fibres are individualised from a sliver by separation rollers, transported to an optical high-speed sensor by an air stream, and tested. However, the mechanical separation of the tapes into individual fibres damages the brittle CFs and influences the test results.

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Ensuring the correct fiber orientation in draped textiles and 3D preforms is one of the current challenges in the production of carbon-fiber reinforced plastics (CFRP), especially in resin transfer molding (RTM). Small deviations in fiber angle during preforming have a considerable effect on the mechanical properties of the final composite. Therefore, this paper presents an automated method for determining local yarn orientation in three-dimensionally draped, multi-layered fabrics. The draped fabric is scanned with a robot-guided high-frequency eddy current sensor to obtain an image of the sample's local conductivity and permittivity. From this image, the fiber orientation not only of the upper, but also of the lower, optically non-visible layers can be analyzed. A 2D Fast Fourier Transform is applied to local segments of the eddy current image to determine the local yarn orientation. Guidelines for processing the eddy current data, including phase rotation, filtering and evaluation segment size, are derived. For an intuitive visualization and analysis of the determined yarn orientation, reference yarn paths are reconstructed from the determined yarn angles. The developed process can be applied to quality inspection, process development and the validation of forming simulation results

Non-crimp fabrics (NCFs), especially multi-axial warp-knitted fabrics, are used as reinforcement materials for fiberreinforced composites. The manufacturing of multi-axial warp-knitted fabrics by a conventional stitch bonding process to produce NCF has several disadvantages, such as filament damage, low production speed, yarn disorientation, etc. In order to overcome the existing limitations, the idea of using an adhesive binder to attach the fabric layers is a promising approach, so that the use of stitching yarns can be eliminated. The fundamental investigations presented in this paper show that the selection of the binder material has a major influence on the parameters of the textile products. Whereas the tested hotmelt adhesives offer a short curing time and a small but nevertheless sufficient bonding strength between bonded yarns, the tested reactive adhesives show a bonding strength up to 10 times higher, but at a considerably longer curing time. The reason for the different bonding strength is identified in the different penetration into the yarns. The experiments also show a significant influence of the fiber type and sizing, which needs to be taken into account when selecting fabric binders.