Real-time damage mechanisms assessment in CFRP samples via acoustic emission Lamb wave modal analysis

This paper proposes a very promising acquisition-analysis procedure to evaluate real-time damage in carbon fiber-reinforced polymer (CFRP) composite plates by means of the acoustic emission (AE) method. It shows how, by using appropriate acquisition frequency filters and very narrow time windows, it is possible to avoid reflection at boundaries and successfully split the A0 and S0 Lamb modes of the AE signals. After that, an appropriate algorithm -based on the comparison of strength of both modes in time and frequency domains- allows one to associate each AE event to a particular damage mechanism (delamination, fiber breaking and matrix micro-cracking). Experimental results from three point bending tests carried out on 22-layer CFRP samples, with delamination artificially induced by a Teflon film, clearly demonstrate the real-time evaluation of the induced delamination and the beginning and growth of new ones.