DETECTION OF FLAWS IN METAL-HONEYCOMB STRUCTURES BY MEANS OF LIQUID CRYSTALS,

Abstract

Cholesteric liquid crystals are compounds that go through a transition phase where they exhibit the flow characteristics of a liquid while retaining much of the molecular order of a crystalline solid. Since these materials have the ability to reflect iridescent colors dependent upon the temperature of their environment, they can be used to project a visual color picture of thermal gradients associated with material discontinuities. This report examines the nature of liquid crystals, the development of very sensitive crystal blends, and their application in non-destructive bond inspection of aluminum honeycomb composite structures. (Author)

Document Details

Document Type
Technical Report
Publication Date
Jun 01, 1967
Accession Number
AD0816482

Entities

People

  • Shelba P. Brown

Organizations

  • United States Army Aviation and Missile Command

Tags

DTIC Thesaurus Topics

  • Aluminum
  • Composite Materials
  • Composite Structures
  • Crystals
  • Detection
  • Discontinuities
  • Environment
  • Honeycomb Structures
  • Inspection
  • Liquid Crystals
  • Materials
  • Metals
  • Temperature Gradients
  • Transitions

Readers

  • Materials Science and Engineering.
  • Nanocomposite Materials Science
  • Structural Health Monitoring of Composite Structures.