Fractal dimension based damage detection method is studied for a composite structure with random material properties. A composite plate with localized matrix crack is considered. Matrix cracks are often seen as the initial damage mechanism in composites. Fractal dimension based method is applied to the static deformation curve of the structure to detect localized damage. Static deflection of a cantilevered composite plate under uniform loading is calculated using the finite element method. Composite material shows spatially varying random material properties because of complex manufacturing processes. Spatial variation of material property is represented as a two dimensional homogeneous Gaussian random field. Karhunen-Loeve (KL) expansion is used to generate a random field. The robustness of fractal dimension based damage detection methods is studied considering the composite plate with spatial variation in material properties.

Date Published: 9 March 2014
PDF: 12 pages
Proc. SPIE 9063, Nondestructive Characterization for Composite Materials, Aerospace Engineering, Civil Infrastructure, and Homeland Security 2014, 90630V (9 March 2014); doi: 10.1117/12.2048972

Published in SPIE Proceedings Vol. 9063:
Nondestructive Characterization for Composite Materials, Aerospace Engineering, Civil Infrastructure, and Homeland Security 2014
H. Felix Wu; Tzu-Yang Yu; Andrew L. Gyekenyesi; Peter J. Shull, Editor(s)