| Bonding composite structures using adhesives offers several advantages over mechanical fastening such as better flow stress, weight saving, improved fatigue resistance and the ability to join dissimilar structures. The hesitation to adopt adhesively bonded composite joints stems from the lack of knowledge regarding damage initiation and propagation mechanisms within the joint. A means of overcoming this hesitation is to continuously monitor damage in the joint. This study proposes a methodology to conduct structural health monitoring (SHM) of an adhesively bonded composite lap joint using acoustic, guided Lamb waves by detecting, locating and predicting the size of damage. Finite element modeling of a joint in both 2D and 3D is used to test the feasibility of the proposed damage triangulation technique. Experimental validation of the methodology is conducted by detecting the presence, location and size of inflicted damage with the use of tuned guided Lamb waves. |
