Quantification of local fiber distribution for optimization of tape laying techniques

An image processing routine is proposed to quantify distribution of fibers on different length scales in unidirectional fiber reinforced composites. For this purpose the proposed image analysis is validated utilizing artificial images and subsequently demonstrated in application to micrographs of carbon fiber reinforced Polyamid-6 tapes and corresponding laminates fabricated by automated tape laying. We use 2D-mean filters with varying diameter to systematically reduce the image information to the characteristic length scale and to obtain the respective local fiber volume fraction. The results indicate a correlation between the microstructure of the tapes and the distribution of fibers within the corresponding laminate.