In-situ Non-destructive Stiffness Assessment of FRC Materials

Master thesis (2022)

Authors

M.G.A. Adams Mechanical Engineering

Contributors

Lotfollah Pahlavan Ship Hydromechanics and Structures - Mechanical, Maritime and Materials Engineering (mentor)
A.J. Huijer Ship Hydromechanics and Structures - Mechanical, Maritime and Materials Engineering (mentor)
C. Kassapoglou Aerospace Structures & Computational Mechanics - Aerospace Engineering (mentor)
C.L. Walters Ship Hydromechanics and Structures - Mechanical, Maritime and Materials Engineering (graduation committee member)
André Vaders (graduation committee member)
Faculty
Mechanical Engineering, Mechanical Engineering
Copyright: © 2022 Maarten Adams
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Published Date

24-05-2022

Language

English

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Faculty

Mechanical Engineering

Abstract

Fiber Reinforced Composite (FRC) materials are gaining great popularity in marine structures because of their excellent strength-to-weight ratio, low density, and provided freedom in the design process. However, the use of FRC materials comes along with relatively large uncertainties in material properties and structural integrity after manufacturing and during its use. In this research a new in-situ non-destructive stiffness assessment methodology is proposed. This methodology is based on a coupling principle between the laminate structural stiffness properties and the ultrasonic guided wave characteristics of FRC materials. In the methodology, a range of possible stiffness properties is defined based on the structural information available for a structure of interest. The average relation between this stiffness range of interest and corresponding wave characteristics is described using a set of coupling coefficients which are determined using numerical simulations. For this, a batch of reference laminates is constructed that covers the entire stiffness range of interest. Input for the system are the group velocities of the zeroth-order symmetric and antisymmetric guided wave modes, measured on the structure of interest. The potential of the proposed methodology is evaluated using a numerical feasibility study based on numerical simulations. Good results were obtained for different test scenarios, varying in the amount of structural information available on the structure of interest. Thereafter, the in-situ application of the methodology has been examined in an experimental setup. Good measurement and analysis times were achieved by using a compact measuring device that is capable of recording the wave signal in five directions simultaneously. A reliable accuracy assessment of the in-situ application of the methodology was, however, difficult to obtain due to the lack of reliable reference studies. Therefore, in future research reliable reference information should be gathered. Additionally, a next step for future research should focus on decreasing the amount of information available on the structure of interest.