Kalman filter based neutral axis tracking in composites under varying temperature conditions

This paper demonstrates a methodology for overcoming the effect of temperature on the accurate tracking of the NA. A multi-rate Kalman Filter (KF) has been used for data fusion from temperature and strain sensors. The paper shows that through the use of KF one can easily compensate the effect of temperature on the observability of the NA. The work applies the methodology on a finite element (FE) model of a glass fiber- epoxy composite as well as validation through actual experiments. Based on the results obtained, it is apparent that the NA tracking using KF allows stable estimation even in changing temperature conditions and as such shows that NA location can indeed be used as a damage sensitive feature.