2. Different types of damage

In order to better understand damage tolerance, and impact damage tolerance in particular, it is necessary to gain a better understanding of the different types of damage encountered on composite structures. We will therefore begin by presenting a very general classification of the damage encountered on aeronautical composite structures, and then focus on damage morphology, and in particular impact damage morphology. We'll see that impact damage is particularly complex, and is the result of a damage scenario combining the various types of composite damage, namely matrix cracking, delamination and fiber breakage.

Classifying the various types of damage to an aeronautical structure as complex as an aircraft is a delicate operation. Nevertheless, there is an official classification carried out by the American aviation authorities