A Digital Image Correlation (DIC) prototype system for crack propagation monitoring in aircraft assemblies

LiKang Luan; Liam Crosbie; Silvain Michel; Erwin Hack

doi:10.12688/openreseurope.14599.2

A Digital Image Correlation (DIC) prototype system for crack propagation monitoring in aircraft assemblies

Open Res Eur. 2022 Sep 28:2:82. doi: 10.12688/openreseurope.14599.2. eCollection 2022.

Authors

LiKang Luan¹, Liam Crosbie¹, Silvain Michel², Erwin Hack²

Affiliations

¹ Dantec Dynamics GmbH, Ulm, 89077, Germany.
² Empa, Swiss Federal Laboratories for Materials Testing and Research, Dübendorf, 8600, Switzerland.

Abstract

Background: In the Clean Sky 2 project DIMES, the cyclic loading of a section of an A320 wing with pre-existing damage was carried out. Methods: We present a Digital Image Correlation (DIC) prototype system to monitor crack propagation in the aircraft wing. This system includes a mount for easy installation and adjustment in a confined space. Results: Strain localization and evaluation due to crack propagation was successfully observed in the Region-of-Interest (ROI) during cyclic fatigue loading. The results from the DIC prototype system were supported by conventional contact Resistance Strain Gauge (RSG) sensors acting as a far-field monitor. Conclusions: Future improvements, the combination of two DIC modules for a stereo DIC system and the potential of the DIC system for ground-based tests and Structural Health Monitoring (SHM) applications are also discussed.

Keywords: DIC; SHM; Structural Health Monitoring; aerospace; aircraft; fatigue; strain.

Grants and funding

This research was financially supported by the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme under the grant agreement No 820951 (project DIMES).