Comparing Methods to Detect the Formation of Damage in Composite Materials

There is a significant need for tools to detect damage in composite materials, whether for the development of models, the characterization of materials or the validation of structures. However, many different methods are available, each with its own advantages and drawbacks, making the choice difficult when setting up tests. This paper will present multi-instrumented uni-axial tests on [02,902]s carbon-epoxy samples at 0∘, 90∘ and 45∘. These tests feature DIC, thermography and acoustic measurements with a standard microphone in order to explore the capabilities of each of these methods. The processing is detailed and the information extracted from each method will be discussed in order to provide an overview of the uses for each method.