Evaluation of Damage Area on Low-Velocity Impact Tested AA3003 Sandwich Panels Using Digital Image Analysis: A Novel Method

摘要

Abstract Composite sandwich panels are known to possess high specific mechanical strength and impact resistance. The low-velocity impact test is performed to assess the impact resistance, damage tolerance, and strength of panels. Generally, it is difficult to calculate the damaged area induced by the impact test on the panels by visual inspection method on account of their colour visibility and irregular shapes. In this study, a novel method based on the digital image analysis technique combined with MATLAB programming is proposed to calculate the exact damage areas and can check its severity economically, and without any robust instrumentation. The results are compared with that of the visual inspection technique and confirmed that the proposed method was an effective tool for the evaluation of exact impact damage areas.