Structural Health Monitoring of Thin Wall Composite Beam Using Static and Dynamic Analysis

Abstract

In this work, a structural health-monitoring for the thin walled damaged composite beam was performed. The cross-sectional stiffness reduction obtained through physics-based models is expressed as a function of the life of the structure employing a recent phenomenological damage model. This stiffness reduction has been further employed to study the behaviour of measurable system parameters such as blade deflections, loads, and strains of a thin walled composite beam in static analysis. The experimental, as well as simulated measurements, are obtained using a static and dynamic analysis of the thin walled composite beam based on the finite element in space and time with physics-based damage modes which are then linked to the life consumption of the beam. The static, as well as dynamic set up, is developed for prediction of physical damage and life consumption employing displacement and force based measurement deviations between damaged and the undamaged conditions. Furthermore, a local online prediction of physical damage and life consumption is performed using strains measured along the blade length. It is noted that the life consumption in the matrix-cracking zone is about 12–15% and life consumption in debonding/delamination zone is about 45–55%of the total life of the blade.