Localization of a delamination and estimation of its length in a composite laminate beam by the VSHM and pattern recognition methods

The purpose of this study was to investigate the delamination damage in laminate composite beams in order to adapt the vibration-based structural health monitoring (VSHM) method for laminated structures. The analysis was concentrated on the vibration characteristics of laminated specimens, in particular, on the first several natural frequencies of a composite laminate beam with a delamination damage. The core of this work is an experimental investigation into the vibration response of a composite laminate beam and its changes caused by delaminations of different sizes and different location in the beam. The aim was to determine how the first six harmonic frequencies are changed by a delamination, and the results show that they can be successfully used to clarify the presence, location, and dimensions of delaminations in a composite beam. A pattern recognition analysis was used to locate the damage, while its detection and evaluation were performed by using changes in the harmonic frequencies. A finite-element analysis was carried out, and the variations in the natural frequencies due to delamination are found to be in good agreement with experimental results.