Damage monitoring during the in-service life is very important for the safe use of composite materials in advanced applications. In this view self-sensing materials have a strong potential in detecting damage initiation and evolution. Self-sensing composites can be obtained by nano-modification of the matrix my means of CNTs, which makes the polymer electrically conductive and allows the initiation of transverse cracks to be linked to the electrical resistance change of the laminates. In the present work a closed form solution is presented to accurately predict the variation of the electrical resistance in conductive cross-ply laminates, caused by matrix cracking in the transverse layers. The accuracy of the proposed model is verified by comparison to a bulk of FE analyses.
doi: 10.12783/SHM2015/167