Thermoelastic Stress Analysis of damage mechanisms in composite materials

A methodology for the application of Thermoelastic Stress Analysis (TSA) in damage studies of glass reinforced polymers is established. Test specimens have been designed to promote certain damage types and the methodology applied to each. It is shown that a TSA approach can evaluate fibre breakage, matrix cracking and delamination damage. Metrics are established based on calibrated strain data obtained from the TSA. It is shown that these can be used to assess the condition of a component throughout its fatigue life.