This study aims to enable intelligent structural health monitoring of internal damage in aerospace structural components, providing a crucial means of assuring safety and reliability in the aerospace field. To address the limitations and assumptions of traditional monitoring methods, carbon nanotube (CNT) yarn sensors are used as key elements. These sensors are woven with carbon fiber yarns using a three-dimensional six-way braiding process and cured with resin composites. To optimize the sensor configuration, an artificial fish swarm algorithm (AFSA) is introduced, simulating the foraging behavior of fish to determine the best position and number of CNT yarn sensors. Experimental simulations are conducted on 3D braided composites of varying sizes, including penetration hole damage, line damage, and folded wire-mounted damage, to analyze the changes in the resistance data of carbon nanosensors within the damaged material. The results demonstrate that the optimized configuration of CNT yarn sensors based on AFSA is suitable for damage monitoring in 3D woven composites. The experimental positioning errors range from 0.224 to 0.510 mm, with all error values being less than 1 mm, thus achieving minimum sensor coverage for a maximum area. This result not only effectively reduces the cost of the monitoring system, but also improves the accuracy and reliability of the monitoring process.
Keywords: artificial fish swarm algorithm (AFSA); braided composites; carbon nanotube yarn (CNT yarn); damage location source; optimized configuration of sensors.