Damage detection in CFRP by coupling acoustic emission and infrared thermography

Abstract

International audienceAcoustic emission (AE) and infrared thermography (IT) are simultaneously combined to identify damage evolution in carbon fibre reinforced composites. Samples are subjected to tensile static loads while acoustic emission sensors and an infrared camera record the acoustic signals and the temperature variations respectively. Unsupervised pattern recognition procedure is applied to identify damage mechanisms from acoustic signals. Thermodynamic arguments are introduced to estimate global heat source fields from thermal measurements and anisotropic heat conduction behavior is taken into account by means of homogenization technique. A spatial and time analysis of acoustic events and heat sources is developed and some correlation range in the AE and IT events amplitude are identified

Characterisation of Damaged Tubular Composites by Acoustic Emission, Thermal Diffusivity Mapping and TSR-RGB Projection Technique

“…Careful thresholding of the recorded signals to eliminate external noise can ensure that damage events are detected and monitored, with their severity and locations recorded. Development of pattern recognition algorithms has also shown promise in the discrimination of physical mechanisms [16].…”

“…This type of data can feed back into optimising the design process as well as for accurate modelling of components. AE and IRT have been found to be complementary when combined [10,16] although reported instances of this are limited. Spatial detection of defects by AE monitoring represents a significant advantage, while IRT can be used to verify and analyse the size and severity of damage.…”

“…Inspection of structures in this way can reduce the life cycle cost of a component by preventing premature replacements, while also improving safety and reducing the likelihood of catastrophic failure. Common methods of NDE include the use of x-rays, ultrasonic waves [1], eddy currents [2], shearography [3][4][5], and infrared thermography [6][7][8][9][10][11][12][13][14][15][16][17]. Though non-destructive techniques (NDT) offer an insight into the performance of composite materials and the environments in which they operate, their implementation can represent significant down-time and labour costs.…”

Damage depth estimation on a fatigue loaded composite structure using thermography and acoustic emission

“…In the past there have been numerous studies combining thermography with acoustic emission [4][5][6][7]. Our technique is different where the acoustic emission location data (using an array of acoustic emission sensors) are mapped onto the thermal imagery.…”

Fatigue Limit Evaluation of Composite Materials by Means of TSA

“…To meet the objective to reduce test time and costs of fatigue tests, several methods have been proposed to study rapidly and consistently the various damage phenomena [4][5][6][7]. Infrared Thermography Technique (IRT) has been exploited to better understand fatigue damage on different type of materials: such as metals and composites [8][9][10].…”