Fatigue Life Prediction for Structural Composites by Acoustic Emission

Computer-linked acoustic emission (AE) monitoring instrumentation can record noises associated with crack growth in an FRP component when it is proof tested. Since defects in the part will cause additional noise and noise concentrations, AE data will relate to the structural performance of the part, particularly to the onset of visible damage and to the fatigue life. To obtain good results, AE data collection must be tailored to the geometry of the part and to the FRP material, which exhibits high AE signal attenuation characteristics. However, after undergoing sophisticated analysis utilizing source location and attenuation corrections, acoustic emission of a part can be correlated with fatigue life.