Neural Approach to Study the Vibration Behavior of Damaged Composite Rotating Beams

In recent decades, Artificial Neural Networks (ANNs) have become a robust tool for addressing complex engineering challenges. This paper implements an ANN-based methodology to determine the natural frequencies of rotating sandwich composite beams with core defects. The study focuses on the influence of rotation speed and defect characteristics (size and location) on a beam made of carbon fiber face-sheets and a honeycomb core, selected for its high strength-to-weight ratio in next-generation designs. The primary novelty lies in providing a simplified model that, through an ANN-based surrogate, establishes an automated and high-speed process for frequency prediction. This approach bypasses the prohibitive computational costs of 3D-FEM simulations, enabling near-instantaneous results essential for real-time Structural Health Monitoring (SHM) applications.