Damage Identification of Woven Graphite/Epoxy Composite Beams using the Electrical Resistance Change Method

Abstract

This study examines the damage identification for woven graphite/epoxy composite beams by means of an electrical resistance change method. The method has been proposed by the authors and successfully applied to cross-ply and quasi-isotropic laminates; the method has yet to be applied to woven laminates. In many practical structures, woven plies are adopted to prevent peeling of the surface layer. Therefore, a woven graphite/epoxy composite is selected as the target material of the electrical resistance change method to identify the damage. Beam type specimens consisting of woven laminates are the focus of this article. For the purpose of identification, the response surface is adopted as a solving method for the inverse problem. As a result, the method shows an excellent performance for estimating delamination crack locations and sizes.