Edge illumination X-ray phase contrast imaging for impact damage detection in CFRP

Carbon fibre reinforced polymer (CFRP) structures are widely used in the aerospace industry for their low weight and strong mechanical properties. However, they prone to impact damage due brittle nature. Edge Illumination X-ray Phase Contrast imaging (EI XPCi), a novel, phase-based technique, was compared against two established non-destructive evaluation methods detection CFRP plates. Planar EI XPCi shown allow of larger extent more details than both conventional using contrast agents ultrasonic immersion C-scans. were unable detect delamination present plate, which only observed from C-scan. XPCI has potential rapid in-process scanning, where 2D projection is possible.