Detection of Embedded Damage Growth by Analysing Its Structural Dynamic Response

The primary focus of this paper is to report on the technique developed to extend a simulated damage site (such as a delamination) without inducing other extraneous damage modes. This was done in order to assess the suitability of curvature mode shape analyses in detecting damage types which are similar in type but different in severity or size. This paper highlights the use of vibration based testing on Carbon/Epoxy composite beams for damage detection. Such composites are commonly used in the aerospace and marine industry. The study comprises of testing carbon/epoxy composite beams with various embedded delaminations with a mechanical actuator and a Scanning Laser Vibrometer (SLV) as a sensor for recording the frequency response and the subsequent analyses of the acquired dynamic response based on Displacement and Curvature Mode Shapes. The paper also discusses the Finite Element Method (FEM)-based Analysis to validate the experimental results. In order to assess the effect of an increasing damage zone on a particular damage configuration, it was necessary to extend the damage without inflicting other damage types in the process. This paper reports on an innovative way of extending an existing delamination by a fatigue crack-growth technique. The ASTM E399-90 standard was used for the experiment and a carefully designed fatigue crack growth routine was implemented to advance the delamination in a controlled manner.