In Situ Monitoring of Fiber-reinforced Composites ― Theory, Basic Concepts, Methods, and Applications

“…a comprehensive and well written book, which…will be useful reading for both researchers entering the field and experienced specialists looking for new ideas….a valuable and long-lasting contribution to experimental mechanics.” – Stepan Lomov, KU Leuven

This expert volume, an enhanced Habilitation thesis by the head of the Materials Testing Research Group at the University of Augsburg, provides detailed coverage of a range of inspection methods for in-situ characterization of fiber-reinforced composites. The failure behavior of fiber reinforced composites is a complex evolution of microscopic damage phenomena. Beyond the use of classical testing methods, the ability to monitor the progression of damage in-situ offers new ways to interpret the materials failure modes. Methods covered include digital image correlation, acoustic emission, electromagnetic emission, computed tomography, thermography, shearography, and promising method combinations. For each method, the discussion includes operational principles and practical applications for quality control as well as thoughtful assessment of the method's strengths and weakness so that the reader is equipped to decide which method or methods are most appropriate in a given situation. The book includes extensive appendices covering common experimental parameters influencing comparability of acoustic emission measurements; materials properties for modeling; and an overview of terms and abbreviations.

Dr. habil. Markus Sause studied Physics at the University of Augsburg and earned his doctoral degree in 2010 in Experimental Physics at the same institution. He received the “Erich-Krautz-Preis” in 2010 for his outstanding contribution to the interpretation of acoustic emission of fiber-reinforced materials. In 2015 he was awarded his Habilitation in Experimental Physics. He is lecturer at University of Augsburg and head of the Materials Testing Research Group and the Chair for Experimental Physics II. Since 2014 he has been a member of the EWGAE executive committee and active in several other committees dedicated to the testing and analysis of fiber-reinforced materials. His research interests span the mechanics of fiber-reinforced composites, their destructive and non-destructive testing as well as numerical methods to interpret the materials behavior. A special focus is given to bridge the gap between destructive testing approaches and non-destructive inspection to perform in-situ analysis of materials failure.