Acoustic emission-based sensor analysis and damage classification for structural health monitoring of composite structures

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Title Acoustic emission-based sensor analysis and damage classification for structural health monitoring of composite structures
Publication Type thesis
School or College College of Engineering
Department Mechanical Engineering
Author Uprety, Bibhisha
Date 2015-05
Description Within the aerospace industry the need to detect and locate impact events, even when no visible damage is present, is important both from the maintenance and design perspectives. This research focused on the use of Acoustic Emission (AE) based sensing technologies to identify impact events and characterize damage modes in composite structures for structural health monitoring. Six commercially available piezoelectric AE sensors were evaluated for use with impact location estimation algorithms under development at the University of Utah. Both active and passive testing were performed to estimate the time of arrival and plate wave mode velocities for impact location estimation. Four sensors were recommended for further comparative investigations. Furthermore, instrumented low-velocity impact experiments were conducted on quasi-isotropic carbon/epoxy composite laminates to initiate specific types of damage: matrix cracking, delamination and fiber breakage. AE signal responses were collected during impacting and the test panels were ultrasonically C-scanned after impact to identify the internal damage corresponding to the AE signals. Matrix cracking and delamination damage produced using more compliant test panels and larger diameter impactor were characterized by lower frequency signals while fiber breakage produced higher frequency responses. The results obtained suggest that selected characteristics of sensor response signals can be used both to determine whether damage is produced during impacting and to characterize the types of damage produced in an impacted composite structure.
Type Text
Publisher University of Utah
Subject Composites; Damage characterization; Low-velocity Impacts; Sensors; Signal processing; Structural health monitoring
Dissertation Name Master of Science
Language eng
Rights Management © Bibhisha Uprety
Format application/pdf
Format Medium application/pdf
Format Extent 2,846,157 Bytes
Identifier etd3/id/3759
ARK ark:/87278/s68h1v1b
Setname ir_etd
ID 197310
Reference URL https://collections.lib.utah.edu/ark:/87278/s68h1v1b
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