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US 8,720,278 B1Granted
Method of detecting inconsistencies in composite structures and stress sensitive coatings used therein
AssigneeThe Boeing Company
InventorsRyan Toivola, Brian D. Flinn, Zhengwei Shi, Sei-Hum Jang, Gary E. Georgeson, Alex Kwan-yue Jen
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Abstract
A coating system includes at least one polymeric coating layer comprising at least one fluorescent dye, wherein an optical behavior of the fluorescent dye changes as a function of a stress of the at least one polymeric coating.
Claims25
A coating system comprising:
- at least one polymeric coating layer comprising a fluorescent dye, wherein an optical behavior of the fluorescent dye changes as a function of a stress of the at least one polymeric coating layer, wherein the at least one polymeric coating layer comprises a primer layer, wherein the primer layer is an epoxy thermoset formed from a curing agent and epoxy monomers in a solvent.
A composite structure, comprising:
- a plurality of laminated composite plies, including a top ply, wherein the top ply includes a fluorescent dye having an optical behavior that changes as a function of a stress applied to the top ply, wherein the fluorescent dye includes functional end groups that do not react with epoxy monomers.
A method of coating a vehicle, the method comprising:
- applying a primer layer;
- applying a topcoat layer, wherein at least one of the primer layer and the topcoat layer includes a fluorescent dye having an optical behavior that changes as a function of a stress applied to the at least one of the primer layer and the topcoat layer;
- and
- wherein the primer layer is an epoxy thermoset formed from a curing agent and epoxy monomers in a solvent.
1 more element
A method of detecting inconsistencies in a composite structure comprising:
- forming an epoxy thermoset from a curing agent and epoxy monomers in a solvent;
- applying a stress sensitive coating to the composite structure, wherein the stress sensitive coating comprises the epoxy thermoset;
- and
- detecting changes in a stress profile of the stress sensitive coating.
1 more element
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.