NMR detection of thermal damage in carbon fiber reinforced epoxy resins

Composite materials of epoxy resins reinforced by carbon fibers are increasingly being used in the construction of aircraft. In these applications, the material may be thermally damaged and weakened by jet blast and accidental fires. The feasibility of using proton NMR relaxation times T1, T1ρ, and T2 to detect and quantify the thermal damage is investigated. In conventional spectrometers with homogeneous static magnetic fields, T1ρ is readily measured and is found to be well correlated with thermal damage. This suggests that NMR measurements of proton T1ρ may be used for non-destructive evaluation of carbon fiber-epoxy composites. Results from T1ρ measurements in the inhomogeneous static and RF magnetic fields of an NMR-MOUSE are also discussed.