Considerations for the detection of acoustic emission waves in thin plates

TLDR: In this paper, a series of simulated acoustic emission experiments in thin plates and bars were conducted to assess the effects of structural geometry on the detection of emission, and it was shown that the structure introduces peaks in the received signal spectra corresponding to thickness resonances that may be estimated from Lamb wave theory.

Abstract: A series of simulated acoustic emission experiments in thin plates and bars conducted to assess the effects of structural geometry on the detection of emission is described. It is shown that the structure introduces peaks in the received signal spectra corresponding to thickness resonances that may be estimated from Lamb wave theory. Spectra of acoustic emission signals from a thin−walled pressure vessel show a peak at the frequency corresponding to the lowest symmetric plate mode. It is concluded that a significant portion of the energy detected by a surface contact transducer on a thin−walled structure is concentrated at these resonances and should be accounted for in choosing a detection system.Subject Classification: 35.10, 35.80.