Non-Metallic Composite Material (FRP / GRP) Inspection

Laminate Delamination and Interlaminar Defects

Delamination between plies is the dominant structural failure mode in FRP and GRP laminates. UT detects delaminations as planar reflectors at the ply boundary interface — producing a characteristic amplitude and time-of-flight response that locates the delamination depth within the laminate. PAUT enables encoded area scanning that maps delamination extent spatially, providing the engineering team with a complete picture of the affected zone rather than a series of discrete readings.

Impact Damage Assessment

Barely visible impact damage (BVID) — subsurface delamination and fibre fracture from mechanical impact that leaves no visible surface indication — is a critical safety concern in structural composite components. UT is the primary technique for BVID characterisation, and our inspection procedures are configured for the sensitivity required to detect subsurface damage at the depths where it most commonly initiates.

Void Content and Manufacturing Defect Assessment

High void content in an FRP or GRP laminate reduces structural strength and fatigue life. UT attenuation measurement correlates with void content in many composite systems — providing a non-destructive indication of laminate quality that supplements the mechanical testing used in manufacturing qualification programmes.

Liner Disbonding in GRP-Lined Vessels

GRP-lined steel vessels and GRP-lined concrete structures are inspected for disbonding between the GRP liner and the substrate using UT pulse-echo and through-transmission techniques. Disbonded areas present the same acoustic impedance mismatch signature as rubber lining disbonding — and are similarly mappable using encoded PAUT scanning.