NDT of shape adaptive structures

Health monitoring of smart structures is important for maintaining their pe rformance. Damage may be caused by electrical or mechanical overload, or by ageing. We indicate methods that allow the detection and characterisation of defects in a non-destructive way: impedance spectroscopy, dynamic thermo graphy and interferometry. Examples are shown for a model sample and an ind ustrial structure. (C) 2001 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.