Classification and prediction of multidamages in smart composite laminates using discriminant analysis

Abstract

A supervised machine learning framework is proposed for local assessments of delamination and transducer debonding in smart composite laminates while using their low-frequency structural vibrations. Load independent discriminative features were identified through a system identification algorithm and several supervised machine learning algorithms were employed to distinguish between the healthy and damaged structures. Linear discriminant analysis was shown to outperform other classifiers. The issue of overfitting of the training data was addressed by evaluating the predictive performance of the classifier on independent test cases. The proposed approach could help provide insightful guidelines for the assessment of multidamages in smart composite laminates.