A new approach for health monitoring of composite structures through identification of impact force

Abstract

In this paper, for composite structures, an identification method of impact force is proposed. Based on the finite element method (FEM), the relation between force histories and strain responses is first formulated. From this relation, an error vector indicating the force location is defined and used for the force location identification. Next, the identification of force history is performed with the modified least-squares method that imposes the penalty on the first derivative of the force history. The validity of the present method has been verified through the impact experiment of CFRP laminated plates embedded with PZT piezoelectric sensors. Based on a FEM model, the possibility of employment of the obtained impact force history and impact force location for the prediction of material internal damages is discussed, which illustrates that this method can be used for the real-time health monitoring of composite structures.