Acoustic Emission Activity Detector for Crack Location in Steel Structures

Abstract:

In acoustic emission (AE) testing for steel structures, location of AE source is an important problem because the source is often related to micro-structure change or defects. In the paper, an activity detector was proposed to locate AE sources based on clustering analysis and AE statistical parameters. Firstly, a location plane, which may contain AE sources, was obtained by the technique of time difference of arrival (TDOA). And the plane was divided into some sub-planes base on clustering analysis. Then, the activity detector was established based on two AE statistical parameters of energy counts and ring-down counts. Finally, the detector value in each sub-plane was calculated and the sub-plane with the maximum value was identified the position of AE sources. Further, by applying the method to test crack sources in a steel structure experiment, the crack position was located correctly compared with actual crack sources. The results demonstrated that the method based on the AE activity detector can reduce ambiguity and locate AE sources accurately and effectively.

• Periodical: Applied Mechanics and Materials (Volumes 325-326)
• Pages: 1301-1304
• DOI: https://doi.org/10.4028/www.scientific.net/AMM.325-326.1301
• Online since: June 2013
• Authors: Li Li, Ji Li, Xin Liang Yu
• Keywords: Acoustic Emission (AE), activity detector, Clustering Analysis, Source Location

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