The introduction of carbon-fibre reinforced plastics in load bearing automotive structures provides a great potential to reduce vehicle weight and fuel consumption. A reduction in overall manufacturing cost can be realised through part integration and use of cost-effective materials such as heavy tow carbon fibre. There is a current drive within the automotive industry to develop the technologi...

The composites provide design flexibility because many of them can be moulded into complex shapes. The carbon fibre-reinforced epoxy composites exhibit excellent fatigue tolerance and high specific strength and stiffness which have led to numerous advanced applications ranging from the military and civil aircraft structures to the consumer products. However, the modelling of the beams undergoin...

Fibre reinforced plastic composite materials are difficult to machine because of the anisotropy and inhomogeneity characterizing their microstructure and the abrasiveness of their reinforcement components. During machining, very rapid cutting tool wear development is experienced, and surface integrity damage is often produced in the machined parts. An accurate selection of the proper tool and m...

The limitation of non-destructive methods for the inspection of carbon fibre reinforced plastic (CFRP) composites is a major problem for many practical applications of the material, especially in the aircraft industry. This paper presents a study which is directed towards non-destructive characterization of CFRP using eddy current methods. The relationship between the signal from different type...