Coupled digital image correlation and quasi-static elasticity imaging of inhomogeneous orthotropic composite structures

The ability to accurately determine elastic properties of orthotropic materials is important in the design and health assessment of composite structures. Direct methods using strain gauges and extensometers for estimating orthotropic properties have become popular in recent years. In cases where strains are highly localized, the material properties are inhomogeneous, or the material has localized damage, the use of these measurement schemes often provides insufficient information. To address this, we propose an inverse method, based on quasi-static elasticity imaging (QSEI) for determining inhomogeneous orthotropic elastic properties using distributed displacement measurements obtained from digital image correlation (DIC). The QSEI-based approach is first tested with simulated noisy displacement data considering in-plane deformations of plate geometries undergoing stretching and bending. Following this, experimental DIC measurements are applied to test the feasibility of the QSEI-based approach. Elastic properties of uni-directional CFRP beams with and without localized damage are estimated using the proposed approach. Results demonstrate the feasibility of the proposed inverse approach.