Abstract :
Frequency dependent electric field measurements
using in situ micro sensors, FDEMS, is a particularly
useful technique for monitoring the changing state of a
polymer in a composite (or in an adhesive joint or as a
coating) during fabrication and aging during use in the
field. Measurements can be made in the laboratory to
monitor the polymerization process and to monitor durability
and aging in an environmental chamber or other
degradative environment. Equally important, the FDEMS
in situ micro sensor monitoring technique can be used to
monitor cure in production ovens and autoclaves on the
plant floor as well as outside, for example, coatings on the
surface of a ship in dry dock. Durability and aging can be
monitored while the object is in use. Examples are a marine
coating on a ship, the protective coating on the liner of an
acid containing tank, a rocket propellant, an adhesive in a
bond joint, or the polymer in a composite structure
