  Glass fabric reinforced thermoplastic (GFRT) constitutes a class of composite
materials that are especially suited for automobile construction due to their
combination of low weight, ease of production and mechanical properties.
However, in the manufacturing process, during forming of prefabricated
laminates, defects in the glass fabric as well as in the polymer matrix can
occur, which may compromise the safety or the lifetime of components. Thus, the
detection of defects in GFRTs for production monitoring and a deep
understanding of defect formation/evolution is essential for mass production.
Here, we experimentally demonstrate that a certain type of defects (i.e., local
fiber shifts), can be detected reliably by X-ray scattering based on the
edge-illumination principle.
