A Machine Vision System for the Real-Time Fiber Orientation Measurement of Tubular Braided Preforms

Abstract

Braided composite materials are a class of fiber reinforced composite materials which obtain their unique material properties from the interlaced fiber structure. The fiber orientation has a critical impact on the resulting material properties of the composite component and as a result, the quality assurance of the braid angle should be an essential step in the production process. To improve the braiding process, a non-intrusive and automated braid angle measurement technique was developed using machine vision principles. The use of a CCD camera and frequency domain image processing allowed the braid angle of stationary and dynamic tubular braid preforms to be measured. This technique was found to have lower uncertainty when compared to currently used manual measurement techniques with the additional benefit of allowing measurements to be made in real-time without user interaction.