An xfem-based numerical scheme to compute crack-induced electrical resistivity changes in cracked cnt-reinforced composites using ansys

Abstract

This paper presents an eXtended Finite Element Method (XFEM)-based numerical scheme to compute electrical resistivity changes caused by the presence of cracks. Using the commercial finite element package ANSYS, the virtual continuous monitoring of the structure is solved in two steps. First, the strain response of the cracked composite domain is computed by means of the XFEM. In the second step, the electrical conductivity of the piezorresistive elements located in the domain are updated according to the strain state and the electric resistance between two electrodes of the damaged plate is computed. The comparison with the electric resistance measured for the undamaged plate allows us to detect the presence of a crack and its severity. Several numerical studies are provided to show the capabilities of this computational framework.