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Compression is critical loading condition for composite airframes. Compression behaviour of structures with or without damages is a weak point for composite fuselage panels. This is one of the reasons for need of continuous in-service health monitoring of composite structures. The purpose of this paper is to characterize the compression panel behaviour on the base of a developed and implemented structural health monitoring (SHM) system.

The SHM system based on fibre optic Bragg grating (FOBG) sensors and standard resistance strain gauges (SGs) was placed onto/into (embedded or bonded) three stiffened carbon fibre reinforced polymer (CFRP) fuselage panels. The FOBG sensor system was used to monitor the structural integrity of the reference, impacted, and fatigued panels under compression loading. Both barely visible impact damage and visible impact damage were created to evaluate their influence on the panel behaviour. The functionality of the SHM system was verified through mechanical testing.

Experimental data showed the presence of impact damages significantly changes the buckling modes development and deformation behaviour of the panels. Some differences between the optical and SG sensors during buckling were observed. The buckling waves and failure development were very well indicated during loading by all sensors located on the panel surface but not by the embedded sensors. Good agreement between the data from the SGs and FOBG sensors was achieved for all sensors placed on the stringers, which did not buckle. The good reliability of FOBG sensors during the fatigue and static testing up to panel failure was verified.

The paper gives information about different buckling behaviour of CFRP fuselage stiffened panels in compression. The paper gives detailed information about measured signals from different sensors based on their location on/in the panel structure for realistic loading scenario of composite aerostructures. The paper gives an integrated overview of sensors placement considering possibilities to predicate structure behaviour.

Impact and fatigue are critical loading conditions for composite aerostructures. Compression behavior after impact and fatigue is a weak point for composite fuselage panels. The purpose of this paper is to characterize experimentally the compression behavior of carbon fiber reinforced plastic (CFRP) stiffened fuselage panels after impact and fatigue.

In total, three panels were manufactured and tested. The first panel was tested quasi-statically to measure the reference compression behavior. The second panel was subjected to impact so as to create barely visible impact damage (BVID) at different locations, then to fatigue and finally to quasi-static compression. Finally, the third panel was subjected to impact so as to create visible impact damage (VID) at different locations and then to quasi-static compression. The panels were tested using ultrasound inspection just after manufacturing to check material quality and between different tests to detect impact and fatigue damage accumulation. During tests the mechanical behavior of the panel was monitored using an optical displacement measurement system.

Experimental results show that the presence of impact damage significantly degrades the compression behavior of the panels. Moreover, the combined effect of BVID and fatigue was proven more severe than VID.

The paper gives information about the compression after impact and fatigue behavior of CFRP fuselage stiffened panels, which represent the most realistic loading scenario of composite aerostructures, and describes an integrated experimental procedure for obtaining such information.