Damage evolution in center-holed glass/polyester composites under quasi-static loading using time/frequency analysis of acoustic emission monitored waveforms

This work addresses and compares the application of advanced signal processing methodologies developed in two different labs for the analysis of the large number of acoustic emission (AE) data as obtained from the quasi-static tension tests of center-holed glass/polyester (Gl/Pe) composite materials; the event primary frequency technique and the wavelet-based AE analysis. Primary goal of the present study is to investigate the effectiveness of frequency-based methodologies in AE data analysis for damage evolution monitoring. Further on, the monitoring of the damage state and the identification of the different damage mechanisms appearing within the material structure during loading is also intended. Both techniques were applied to analyze the plethora of the recorded AE signals during the tests. The results are thoroughly discussed and an evaluation of the two methods for handling AE transients is attempted.