Active imaging of glass fiber reinforced plastic using millimeter-wave radiometry

Composite materials are used in a variety of industries ranging from oil and gas to aerospace for which structural failure can be catastrophic. Regular maintenance of such structures becomes necessary after a certain period. This paper describes a non-destructive, non-intrusive, non-contact broadband imaging method that uses traditional millimeter-wave radiometry to identify anomalies in a glass fiber reinforced plastic sample. The change in signal transmission through the sample is detected by a W-band radiometer. The test set-up and preliminary results are presented.