Acoustic emission source location on large plate-like structures using a local triangular sensor array

A new acoustic emission (AE) source location method was developed for large plate-like structures, which evaluates the location of the source using a combined time of flight and modal source location algorithm. Three sensors are installed in a triangular array with a sensor to sensor distance of just a few centimeters. The direction from the sensor array to the AE source can be established by analysing the arrival times of the A(0) component of the signal to the three sensors whilst the distance can be evaluated using the separation of S-0 and A(0) mode at each sensor respectively. The close positioning of the sensors allows the array to be installed in a single housing. This simplifies mounting, wiring and calibration procedures for non-destructive testing (NDT) and structural health monitoring (SHM) applications. Furthermore, this array could reduce the number of sensors needed to monitor large structures compared to other methods. An automatic wave mode identification method is also presented. (C) 2012 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.