Damage Analysis of Fiber Reinforced Composites using Acoustic Emission

This paper discusses damage analysis of fiber reinforced composites using acoustic emission. Acoustic emission is physical phe nomenon at which arises release of energy due to the stimulation by external or internal stress. This method ranks among the nondestructive material testing methods. For analysis purposes, composite material with carbon fibers was used, from which test speci mens were made for loading in uniaxial tension. The loading was subsequently monitored by acoustic emission. Selected parameters measured by acoustic emission were evaluated in their dependence on the type of damage occurred in the material during the loading process. The evaluation of damage was performed using light, stereo and scanning electron microscopy.