Statistic detection for composite laminate damage by application of correlation function amplitude vector method

A statistic strategy based on the correlation function amplitude vector (CorV) is proposed to detect the local delamination damage of a composite laminate. In the numerical simulation, the cantilevered composite laminate is excited by a steady random excitation. The finite element model is established to calculate the acceleration responses of the intact and damaged laminate, respectively. Then the CorVs of the intact and damaged laminate are calculated by taking several nodes as the reference points. The correlation function amplitude vector assurance criterion is adopted to determine the damage degree. The relative changes between the CorVs of the intact and damaged laminate are used together with a statistic evaluation formula to determine the damage location. The validity and stability of the proposed statistic detection approach are demonstrated by given examples under single and multiple damage conditions. The anti-noise ability of the proposed approach is also checked.