Dynamic Based Damage Detection in Composite Structures

Advanced composites are being used increasingly in state-of-the-art aircraft and aerospace structures. In spite of their many advantages, composite materials are highly susceptible to hidden flaws that may occur at any time during the life cycle of a structure, and if undetected, may cause sudden and catastrophic failure of the entire structure. This paper is concerned with the detection and characterization of hidden defects in composite structures before they grow to a critical size. A methodology for automatic damage identification and localization is developed using a combination of vibration and wave propagation data. The structure is assumed to be instrumented with an array of actuators and sensors to excite and record its dynamic response, including vibration and wave propagation effects. A damage index, calculated from the measured dynamical response of the structure in a previous (reference) state and the current state, is introduced as a determinant of structural damage. The indices are used to identify low velocity impact damages in increasingly complex composite structural components. The potential application of the approach in developing health monitoring systems in defects-critical structures is indicated.