This study evaluates the performance of damaged concrete beams retrofitted with a purpose-designed mechanochromic composite, which provides structural reinforcement and visual feedback for structural health monitoring (SHM). The retrofitting process utilizes externally bonded reinforcement (EBR) on pre-damaged concrete prisms. The mechanochromic composite, a thin-ply hybrid material made of unidirectional ultra-high modulus (UHM) carbon/epoxy and S-glass/epoxy layers, changes color to indicate structural overload when the UHM carbon layer fractures due to excessive strain. Eighteen concrete specimens were prepared and subjected to four-point bending tests, assessing various combinations of damaged, undamaged, retrofitted, and non-retrofitted configurations. Results showed that the mechanochromic composite functions effectively as both a passive visual sensor and reinforcement. For instance, a 5 % crack depth reduced load-bearing capacity by 30 %, however, retrofitting with the mechanochromic composite improved load-bearing capacity by up to 208 % compared to undamaged beams. The study further discusses the effects of different damage levels on load-bearing capacity through flexural strength, load-displacement curves, and failure modes.

Polymer composite laminates have established themselves as essential materials across a wide type of industrial fields because of their specific mechanical properties such as high strength and low weight. Among the main issues they face is susceptibility to delamination damage. This comprehensive review paper investigates various damage mechanisms and associated phenomena that obvious during delamination within polymer composite laminates. Delamination can primarily arise in Mode I, Mode II and mixed Mode I &II loading scenarios. Notably, the damage features can vary significantly between these conditions. This paper aims to characterize and identify delamination-dominated damage features by conducting a comprehensive examination of the parameters that influence these features, all based on an extensive literature review and utilizing fractography analysis. The findings of this review illustrate the valuable insights that can be obtained from delamination fracture surfaces through the utilization of fractography images and the examination of damage features. For instance, it is possible to recognize details such as determining of global crack growth direction, calculating the rate of fatigue crack growth, and anticipating of strain energy released rate. This deeper understanding aids in pinpointing the key factors contributing to delamination damage. It could offer valuable insights for designing composites resistant to delamination. Additionally, it may assist in determining the underlying causes of catastrophic failures in tragic events.

Engineering structures, such as bridges, wind turbines, airplanes, ships, buildings, and offshore platforms, often experience uncertain dynamic loadings due to environmental factors and operational conditions. The lack of knowledge about the load spectrum for these structures poses challenges in terms of design and can lead to either over-engineering or catastrophic failure. This research introduces a robust and innovative device, analogous to a "Fitbit" for structures, capable of measuring complex loading conditions throughout the structure's lifespan. The proposed approach involves developing a middleware, referred to as an "extension," which facilitates the transfer of mechanical deformation to a piezoelectric sensor. This approach overcomes challenges associated with directly attaching piezoelectric sensors to the structure's surface such as rupture possibility in higher strain and attaching on rough surfaces. The feasibility study primarily focuses on validating the performance of the extension and monitoring variation trends. The ultimate objective is to develop an Internet of Things (IoT) sensor node capable of measuring applied cyclic loads. To achieve this goal, an electronic system and embedded software will be developed to capture the complex load spectrum and convert it into a fatigue damage index for predicting the structure's fatigue life. The collected data will be transmitted to the user through a wireless communication platform. The proposed sensor design is versatile, allowing for both attachment and embedding and is demonstrated here for monitoring fatigue in engineering structures.

The present study is focused on the characterization of the fatigue damage features in carbon/epoxy laminates under mode-II loading conditions. To this aim, a sinusoidal cyclic load was applied to the End-Notched Flexural (ENF) specimens and the fatigue behavior of specimens was investigated. Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM) was used to identify the damage features on the fracture surface, i.e. fiber imprints, cusps, roller cusps, and striations. It was found that the fatigue damage features, such as cusps and striations, completely depended on the fatigue crack growth rate, da/dN. In addition, a linear relationship between the fatigue striation space and the strain energy release rate range (ΔGs) and the hysteresis loop area was established. The Acoustic Emission (AE) method was also employed to characterize the damage features. The obtained results showed that higher AE energy indicates larger and rougher cusps and striation features.

This study aims to use the passive and active acoustic-based health monitoring methods for impact damage assessment of composite structures. To this aim, a Carbon Fiber Reinforced Polymer (CFRP) composite plate was fabricated and subjected to a simulated low-velocity impact by performing repeated quasi-static indentation tests where a loading-unloading-reloading test profile with 5 repetitions was adopted. Two Acoustic Emission (AE) broadband sensors and a network of eight piezoelectric (PZT) sensors were attached on the composite plate surface. AE (passive method) was employed during the loading and reloading phases of the indentation tests to online monitor the critical damage occurrence and also specify the damage type while scanning of the plate with Lamb waves (active method) was done to localize the damage when the structure was unloaded. Felicity Ratio (FR) index which was calculated based on the AE data could accurately detect that critical damage occurred during the 5th loading-unloading-reloading stage when the structural integrity dropped to 60% of its initial stage. Furthermore, Lamb wave signals of central frequency 150 kHz localized the impact damage with error of 0.89 cm (3.6% error respect to the shortest dimension of the scanned area).