Speaker
Description
This study investigates the dynamic response of a composite plate subjected to a pressure wave generated by a moving source, with the primary objective of identifying equivalent external loads from local strain measurements. The research focuses on reconstructing dynamic load parameters by analyzing signals acquired from a discrete array of Fiber Bragg Grating (FBG) sensors integrated within the laminate.
The identification of external loads from local measurements represents a challenging inverse problem, often characterized as ill-posed and non-unique. To ensure tractability, the pressure field is modeled as a cylindrical wavefront propagating in a sub-resonant regime. The analysis assumes linear structural behavior and small deformations, while neglecting fluid-structure interaction effects. The goal is to identify a set of equivalent parameters, including peak amplitude and the kinematic variables governing the source motion.
The proposed methodology integrates analytical modeling with Finite Element Method (FEM) simulations of the transient structural response. The analytical framework is built upon Kirchhoff–Love theory for thin plates and is derived through an energetic formulation (minimizing the action functional), ensuring consistent dynamic equations that account for the anisotropic stiffness of the composite.
Transient simulations were performed for various trajectories (centered and eccentric) to support the inverse identification strategy. A decoupled approach is adopted: kinematic parameters are first estimated by exploiting structural symmetries and qualitative features of the strain-time histories, while the load amplitude is subsequently determined through a scaling procedure. This work serves as a foundational step for structural health monitoring (SHM) and load reconstruction in instrumented composite structures.