Fatigue Damage Characterisation in Welded Plates using Acoustic Emission and Digital Image Correlation

A series of tests has been conducted to investigate fatigue damage characterisation in corroded welded steel plates using structural health monitoring (SHM) techniques. AE is a non-destructive testing (NDT) technique with potential applications for locating and monitoring fatigue cracks in service. In this present work, AE was used to characterise damage during crack evolution based on the relationship between the Rise time, amplitude the average frequency of the recorded data. Results were confirmed by visual observation of the crack geometry at the end of the test and by Digital Image Correlation (DIC) measurements. The results obtained allowed a more detailed understanding of such damage mechanisms, enabling an early warning against final failure and hence ensuring the safety and integrity of the structures.

Keywords:

Fatigue , Welded steel , Damage characterisation , Acoustic Emission , Digital Image Correlation