Materials characterization with integrated intelligent instruments

High performance polymeric/ceramic composites have provided new capabilities in the aerospace, automotive, and consumer product industries. In-field performance of these materials is related to their chemical and physical microstructures, as well as to the formulation and processing operations in their fabrication. Instrumentation and methods used in trace organic analysis permit detailed studies of fibers, laminates, powders, or bulk solids. Analytical pyrolysis and supercritical fluid technologies are used in conjunction with spectral detection systems, such as mass spectrometry and/or Fourier transform infrared spectrometers to provide unique information about their chemical microstructure and composition. These data are basic to QA/QC and process operations that guide the manufacture of high quality products in diverse industries. Nondestructive, analyses are conducted with a laser scanner/computer system for automated detection of surface or internal flaws in composite materials. These applications use neural networks that are trained with data obtained from x-ray, ultrasonic, photographic, or other spectral patterns in studies of propellants and polymer/ceramic composites. Technology transfer is demonstrated by government-industry-academic cooperative research efforts that impact the design, engineering, and processing of new composite materials.