Quantify Porosity Across Scales in Composite Wind Blade Engineering with Tescan UniTOM XL

Why Conventional Techniques Compromise Accuracy in Composite Materials Analysis

The mechanical behavior of composite materials is shaped by their internal fiber structure, resin flow, and porosity across layers. However, most analysis relies on destructive sectioning and 2D inspection methods that disrupt internal structure and overlook critical features.

Cutting or polishing introduces artifacts, shifts cracks, and flattens pores. These distortions make it difficult to measure voids, identify delamination, or assess coating quality accurately. This is especially true for thick or multi-layered structures.

These challenges are amplified in wind blades, aerospace panels, and other high-performance composites where internal variability drives failure. Tescan UniTOM XL offers a dependable, non-destructive workflow for full-volume composite analysis, providing:

• Multiscale imaging from full part to fiber level
• Consistent 3D data across samples
• Accurate pore and crack segmentation
• Structural context preserved across scans

Tescan UniTOM XL delivers complete volumetric data on internal defects and microstructure, while preserving sample integrity.

How Composite Materials Are Analyzed Using Tescan UniTOM XL

Composite components were scanned in their original form, with no sectioning, polishing, or coating required. Samples were placed directly into the Tescan UniTOM XL, which features a high-stability stage and optional in-situ loading capabilities for mechanical response analysis in composites.

Scans were acquired using multiscale micro-CT imaging, capturing both full structural context and internal microstructure. Composited zoom scans and volume of interest scans enabled precise targeting of regions affected by voids, cracks, or delamination.

Using dynamic micro-CT imaging, internal material behavior was monitored in real time under load. Tescan’s advanced reconstruction tools supported full-volume 3D X-ray CT investigation of porosity, fiber alignment, crack propagation, and coating characterization in wind blades. All measurements were made from a single, intact sample without the need for cutting or surface preparation.

With no need for sectioning, this non-destructive workflow reveals internal defects and structural features exactly as they exist. Researchers gain accurate and artifact-free data they can trust for every sample at every scale.

Accurate 3D Imaging for Composite Wind Blade Engineering

Tescan UniTOM XL allowed researchers to generate high-resolution, artifact-free 3D datasets from intact composite components. Its non-destructive workflow and multiscale micro-CT imaging revealed internal structure without altering sample geometry.

Porosity, fiber architecture, interfacial cracks, and coating layers were clearly visualized across full volumes, including large wind blade sections and layered composites.

Through dynamic micro-CT imaging, researchers observed how internal defects evolved under load, gaining real-time insight into composite damage mechanisms.

The result was consistent structural data across composite types. This supported accurate failure analysis, coating characterization, and structural integrity assessment from a single scan.