Defect Detection Using A Non-Contact Electric Potential Drop Method for Multilayer Carbon Composite Materials

The application of a novel non-contact electric potential sensor technology to the location and characterisation of faults in carbon fibre reinforced composites has recently produced interesting results. The method involves inducing an a.c. current in a sample and scanning a sensor over the surface to measure the potential as a function of position. This is a non-contact version of the a.c. potential drop method. This paper describes the initial results of modelling the electric field associated with multilayer composite materials containing faults and compares them with the previously acquired data from the non-contact potential drop method.