Wavelet analysis of acoustic emission signals from thermal barrier coatings

The wavelet transform is applied to the analysis of acoustic emission signals collected during tensile test of the ZrO2-8% Y2O3 (YSZ) thermal barrier coatings (TBCs). The acoustic emission signals are de-noised using the Daubechies discrete wavelets, and then decomposed into different wavelet levels using the programs developed by the authors. Each level is examined for its specific frequency range. The ratio of energy in different levels to the total energy gives information on the failure modes (coating micro-failures and substrate micro-failures) associated with TBCs system.