Acoustic emission source location method for glass fibre reinforced plastics based on virtual loading focusing enhancement technology

Because of the inhomogeneity and anisotropy of glass fibre reinforced plastics (GFRP), it is always a challenge to detect the real-time dynamic quality during manufacturing and service. In this paper, a virtual loading focusing enhancement technology (VLFET) based on time reversal (TR) theory is proposed to accurately locate the acoustic emission (AE) source in the GFRP. First, the focusing enhancement theoretical model with virtual reverse loading is deduced according to the TR theory. Then, after measuring the optimal detection range and the average acoustic velocity, the sensor array is positioned on the GFRP specimen. The excitation signals applied to simulate the AE source at some positions are produced by using lead breaking, and the detection signals are received by the sensor array. Finally, the signals received by the sensor array are processed according to the theoretical model, and the fluctuation image in the monitoring area is reconstructed with fluctuation amplitude of each pixel to evaluate the AE source position. The experimental results demonstrate that the excitation sources can be accurately evaluated with the VLFET. The location error with the proposed method is less than 3.1%, higher than that from the current AE instrument. The proposed technology can also be applied to the AE evaluation of other anisotropic materials.