Structural health monitoring: numerical damage predictor for composite structures

The use of composite materials in both civil and military applications is increasing as composites potentially offer many advantages over traditional structural materials. Composites typically provide superior strength to weight ratio, better resistance to corrosion, and especially for military applications, greater ballistic protection. Wide use of composites is found in aircraft, armored vehicles, ships and civil structures This present research demonstrates the ability to numerically detect damage in a composite sandwich structure using a robust non-linear finite element model (FEM). FEM techniques are used to directly represent damage and the model's response is investigated. Changes in elemental strain and strain frequency, through a Fast Fourier Transform (FFT), is evaluated. Both a cantilevered beam and a simply supported plate are studied.
http://archive.org/details/structuralhealth1094510861