Comparison of non-destructive techniques for impact damage area assessment in aramid/epoxy composites

This research focused on the assessment of the damaged area on aramid/epoxy composites subjected to high velocity impact. Digital X-ray radiography and active pulsed thermography techniques were used for performing post-mortem analysis of the impacted specimens (8 to 28 aramid layers). Two types of projectiles were used: 9 mm Luger FMJ and .357 Magnum FMJ. Dedicated algorithms were developed to post-process the thermograms obtained and the results are compared with the damaged diameter measured directly on the X-ray radiographs. The output of the three methods are therefore compared and discussed.