Study of damage evolution in composite materials based on the Thermoelastic Phase Analysis (TPA) method

In particular, the phase of thermoelastic signal, associated with intrinsic dissipation processes occurring in the material, has been used to localize and assess the damaged areas in a quantitative manner. Moreover, the thermoelastic phase analysis leads to an evaluation of the endurance limit of composites. In fact, by comparing the results with those provided by the standard test methods, the potential has been shown of the proposed procedure firstly as a non-destructive technique for continuous monitoring of damage in composite structures undergoing fatigue loadings, and secondly, as a fatigue limit index.