High-velocity Impact Location on Aircraft Panels Using Macro-fiber Composite Piezoelectric Rosettes

Abstract

In this article, an approach based on an array of macro-fiber composite (MFC) transducers arranged as rosettes is proposed for high-velocity impact location on isotropic and composite aircraft panels. Each rosette, using the directivity behavior of three MFC sensors, provides the direction of an incoming wave generated by the impact source as a principal strain angle. A minimum of two rosettes is sufficient to determine the impact location by intersecting the wave directions. The piezoelectric rosette approach is easier to implement than the well-known time-of-flight-based triangulation of acoustic emissions because it does not require knowledge of the wave speed in the material. Hence, the technique does not have the drawbacks of time-of-flight triangulation associated to anisotropic materials or tapered sections. The experiments reported herein show the applicability of the technique to high-velocity impacts created with a gas-gun firing spherical ice projectiles.

Acoustic emission (AE) source localization using extended Kalman filter (EKF)

“…Under the "passive" mode, growing damage (e.g. fatigue cracks), or sudden impacts can be located by monitoring acoustic emissions in a real-time mode 4,5,6,7,8 . This paper focuses on the "passive" monitoring technique using a sparse array of piezoelectric transducers to locate the point of AE source.…”

Spira Mirabilis: a shaped piezoelectric sensor for impact localization

“…This need is driving recent research efforts in the development of SHM systems for aircraft components, such as wing and fuselage skins. [1][2][3][4][5][6][7][8][9] In these systems, a network of piezoelectric sensors is used to detect the ultrasonic guided waves generated by the impact in the structure, and determine via waveform analysis the impact location and its energy. In this scenario, a SHM system capable to accurately determine the impact location in a limited time and with a limited amount of energy consumption and computational resources would be really appealing.…”

Damage location by ultrasonic Lamb waves and piezoelectric rosettes

“…Since no wave velocity information or complex modelling is required, the proposed technique can improve damage location in anisotropic structures, in geometrically complex structures (such as tapered plates), or in any structure under temperature fluctuation. Piezoelectric rosettes for AE source location were utilized earlier by some of the present authors for pencil-lead breaks on small composite panels [17] and on high-velocity gas-gun impact tests on isotropic and composite flat panels [18]. This paper extends this method to locating existing damage in an "active-passive" mode, and with a special focus on damage location under temperature variations.…”