A novel methodology for the assessment of the residual elastic properties in damaged composite components

In the last decades, the use of composite materials for structural components is rapidly increasing. However, damage complexity still represents the main limitation in the further diffusion of structural composites. In this paper, an innovative non-destructive methodology for assessing the amount of damage in composite materials is proposed. The macro energetic variable Damage Index is exploited for the prediction of the local residual elastic properties in damaged composites for automotive applications. A strict correlation is found between the predicted and the actual residual elastic properties of the investigated plates. The methodology could thus represent an effective way for guiding the maintenance strategy in structural composite components subjected to damage during service.