Acoustic emission and damage mode correlation in textile reinforced PPS composites

The paper applies the cluster analysis methodology to thermoplastic Polyphenylene sulphide (PPS) carbon woven composites. The experimental quasi-static tensile tests were assisted by: a digital camera for digital image correlation (DIC) evaluation of the full field strain; a digital camera for local damage observation; acoustic emission (AE) sensors for measurement of the acoustic emission features during loading. The experimental data and the subsequent cluster analyses of the AE events show a similar distribution of the AE clusters for the considered thermoplastic carbon composites and other thermoset woven composites described in the literature. The boundaries of those clusters are different for some extent, while a typical damage mechanism, namely transverse cracks inside the yarns, was clearly correlated to the first cluster with lower amplitude and lower frequency acoustic events.