Damage detection in CFRP Composite Plates based on evolving Modal Parameters

Despite the good mechanical properties of composite structures, it is still prone to low impact damages resulting in defects such as delamination and the effect is usually not detected by visual inspection. Although the use of modal parameters for identification of damage in Carbon Fibre Reinforced Polymer (CFRP) composite laminates is not new, it is still a subject of discussion within the research community. In this study composite of different stacking configuration manufactured by hand lay-up and autoclave curing were used to conduct the free-free experimental modal analysis within the frequency range of 0 -- 400 Hz. The experiments were performed for both healthy and damage induced samples of same configuration. The effect of the modal parameters such as damping factors, natural frequencies, etc were assessed and the results presented here-in