Nondestructive Damage Detection of Epoxy/Synthetic Fiber Braided Composites

In engineering, nondestructive damage detection is a basic but very important technology, able to monitor the health state of composite structures in a noninvasive manner and guide the maintenance process for future service. This chapter introduces two nondestructive damage detection methods, established respectively on acoustic emission and vibration. Their basic principles of damage detection are described, as well as details of experimental testing, detection algorithms, and numerical analyses. The primary difference between two methods is that the acoustic emission-based method is a local detection method, while the other is a global method. However, both methods are demonstrated to be capable to detect and locate damage in epoxy resin/carbon fiber-braided composite structures, showing great promise in practical applications. The future development trend for nondestructive damage detection is discussed in the end.