Simple electric-voltage-change-analysis method for delamination of thin CFRP laminates using anisotropic electric potential function

Abstract

Although the electrical-resistance-change method is useful for monitoring delamination cracking of carbon-fiber-reinforced plastic (CFRP) laminates, the method requires many experiments or FEM analyses to obtain the relationship between the electrical resistance changes and parameters describing delamination cracking. In our previous studies, one of the authors proposed using an anisotropic electric potential function to analyze electric current density in CFRP laminates. The function was applied only to thick CFRP laminates. In the present study, the method is expanded to thin CFRP laminates using an image method. The number of images is determined using the electric current analysis of thick CFRP laminates. The electric potential changes caused by delamination cracking can be calculated using an anisotropic doublet line. The associated method is applied to calculate the electric voltage change at the surface of a thin CFRP laminate. The results are compared with an FEM analysis, and, overall, the method is shown to be very effective.