Structural Health Monitoring of Adhesively Bonded Composite Joints

In recent years, many aerospace organizations have researched and implemented composite materials to achieve better fuel efficiency as well as reduced maintenance cost. In addition to the use of composites, manufacturers are investigating the use of adhesive bonded joints and composite patch bonded repairs to extend the life of their in-service aircraft. Adhesive joints are superior to traditional mechanical fasteners as they reduce stress concentration zones and overall part count. However, the integrity of an adhesive joint is difficult to inspect. Inspection of adhesive joints may be carried out using interrogation technology such as Structural Health Monitoring (SHM). This thesis focuses on the evaluation of Acoustic-Ultrasonic (AU) SHM technique for the detection of crack and disbond growth. In addition to AU, Capacitance Disbond Detection Technique (CDDT) and the Surface Mountable Crack Detection System (SMCDS) were evaluated for the detection disbonds. Results of the AU system demonstrated that AU technology may be used to detect and quantify crack and disbond growth. It was also found that SMCDS and CDDT both complement each other, as SMCDS identified the location of disbond while CDDT quantify disbond.