Damage Detection of Composite Laminates Using Smart Piezoelectric Materials

Many composite materials and structures are susceptible to defects, which may grow to failure of the structures. To avoid the catastrophic failure of structures, development of a reliable method of structural health monitoring is important in maintaining the integrity of the structures. Dynamic response-based damage detection offers a simple procedure as an alternative to the conventional nondestructive evaluation techniques. In this paper, experimental aspects of dynamic response-based damage detection technique on carbon/epoxy composites are addressed. Smart piezoelectric materials are used as sensors or actuators, and they are surface-bonded to the beams and used to acquire the curvature modes of the structures. Four types of damage detection algorithms are evaluated for several possible damage configurations. The quality of damage identification with different detection algorithms is discussed. The developed experimental damage identification technique using curvature modes and piezoelectric materials can be effectively used in damage detection and health monitoring of composite structures.