Affiliations: Center for Sensor Systems, Institute of Mechanics and
Control Engineering-Mechatronics, University of Siegen, Siegen, Germany
Note: [] Corresponding author: M.A. Torres-Arredondo, University of
Siegen, Center for Sensor Systems, Institute of Mechanics and Control
Engineering-Mechatronics, Paul-Bonatz-Strasse 9-11, 57076 Siegen, Germany.
E-mail: torres@zess.uni-siegen.de
Abstract: Acoustic Emission (AE) techniques are used for the structural health
monitoring of civil, aeronautic and aerospace structures. Recently, these
structures are made of composite materials due to their advantages over
traditional materials, but this increases the interpretation complexity of the
failure modes present. Therefore, in order to make AE a trustworthy technique,
reliable source location and damage mechanism characterization must be
accomplished. On that account, this work proposes a novel approach based on a
chirplet atomic decomposition, time-frequency energy distribution and
dispersion analysis, where the failure-emitted signals are separated from
extraneous noise and the detected modes are analyzed according to their
dispersive behaviour and angular dependence characteristics. Dispersion
relations are obtained by the use of a higher order plate theory on a
non-absorbing anisotropic plate model, and then used in conjunction with the
previous methodologies for mode identification and localization. The proposed
methodology and model are validated, and the capability of the method to
overcome practical issues encountered in AE testing is demonstrated
experimentally.
Keywords: Structural health monitoring, acoustic emission, structural dynamics, signal processing
