Structural Health Monitoring Application of Aviation Composite Materials Using Microscopic Techniques

Structural Health Monitoring (SHM) is a process that involves the observation and analysis of a system over time using periodically sampled response measurements to monitor changes to the material and geometric properties of engineering structures such as bridges, buildings, and aerospace composite structures. The goal of SHM is to detect changes in the structural behavior or condition that may indicate damage or degradation before a catastrophic failure occurs. SHM involves the implementation of damage detection strategies for structures of high importance. It is commonly used in civil engineering, aerospace engineering, and mechanical engineering applications to ensure the safety and reliability of structures. It improves the safety of aerospace composite structures by detecting damage at an early stage, preventing damage from occurring, improving reliability, and extending the life of the structure. SHM applications enable aircraft to spend less time on the ground and carry more passengers and cargo, thereby reducing operational costs. It can be utilized in various fields such as monitoring the health condition of aircraft tail and wing areas in the aviation industry, preventing damage and deterioration of car parts and components under operating conditions in the automotive sector, monitoring the health condition of bridges and tunnels in the transportation sector, and monitoring the health condition of wind turbines and other structures in the energy sector. Aerospace composite structures can suffer from several complex nonlinear damage modes, including impact damage, delamination, matrix cracking, fiber breakage, and voids. This study provides general and useful information on how structural health applications of aviation composites can be supported by microscopic techniques. In order to better understand the subject, an example aircraft composite structural component containing impact damage, which was mentioned above, was examined using microscopic techniques. In this investigation conducted using Stereo and Scanning Electron Microscopes (SEM), the identification of potential damage sources and the assessment of damage severity are explained in detail.