(1.Shanghai Collaborative Innovation Center for High Performance Fiber Composites, Donghua University, Shanghai 201620, China)(2.College of Textiles, Donghua University, Shanghai 201620, China)(3.Engineering Research Center of Technical Textile of Ministry of Education, Shanghai 201620, China)
X-ray computed tomography (X-ray CT), as a highresolution, non-destructive, 3D visualization technology of material characterization and measurement, shows unique advantages. It can not only provide the highresolution external characteristics of the sample, but also obtain the detailed internal structure information, which has attracted more and more attention in various fields. This article highlights the uniqueness of X-ray CT by simply comparing the applicability and limitations of several nondestructive testing techniques. The principle of X-ray CT and the characteristics of laboratory tomography and synchrotron radiation computed tomography(SRCT)are mainly described. The application of X-ray CT in fiber reinforced polymer(FRP) composites is summarized from the aspects of exploring the internal structure, evaluating the manufacturing process, obtaining the evolution of damage or failure, and combining X-ray CT with other characterization methods. The challenge and development trend of X-ray CT in FRP research are put forward.