Acoustic Emission Source Location In Plate-Like Structures Using a Closely Arranged Triangular Sensor Array

In order to identify the location of Acoustic Emission (AE) sources in large plate-like structures it typically requires the use of at least three widely spaced sensors. The distance between these sensors is defined by, for example, expected AE intensity and attenuation of the signals. This work will present a novel configuration of the three sensors, which are installed in a closely arranged triangular array with the sensors just a few centimetres apart. The algorithm locates AE sources by determining the direction from which the wave is approaching the array using the time of arrival and the distance the wave has travelled using the wave mode separation. Tests were conducted on a composite (CFRP) plate with anisotropic lay-up. In this work it is shown that the technique is able to accurately identify the source location. The technique is particularly suitable for Non-Destructive Testing (NDT) and Structural Health Monitoring (SHM) applications where the close positioning of the sensors allows the array to be installed in one housing to simplify mounting and wiring. It is expected that this sensor arrangement could reduce the number of sensors needed to monitor large plate-like structures compared to more conventional AE source location methods.