Vibration based structural health monitoring of a composite plate structure with multiple stiffeners

Abstract

A vibration based damage identification algorithm is implemented to assess the damage of a thin–walled composite structure. The structure analysed is a skin with stiffeners, as frequently applied in aircraft com-ponents. Both experimental and numerical studies on a single composite skin–stiffener structure showed that the modal strain energy damage index (MSE–DI) algorithm is a suitable method for the detection and localization of a delamination of the stiffener from the skin. A recent study on a strip with a single stiffener and an artificial delamination is extended to a study on a plate with two stiffeners and an impact induced delamination damage.