Accuracy of Acoustic Emission Localization for Masonry Structures Monitoring

Acoustic Emission (AE) is a promising non-destructive monitoring technique to investigate the damage location and to evaluate the structural health conditions. Based on the tests performed on a masonry bridge, three ingredients i€­sensor distribution, onset time determination and degree of inhomogeneityi€­ affecting the accuracy of AE localization are discussed. The test result shows a reasonable sensor arrangement is of great importance for the localization capability. The highest accuracy can be achieved for damage sources localized among the sensor distributions. Distances of sources far from the sensor network are less accurate. Onset time determination of an AE signal is another important factor in this technique. A widely used approach, based on the Akaike Information Criterion (AIC), is confirmed to provide more reliable onset time determination of AE signals. Moreover, the inhomogeneity of the test object may lead to errors in the ultrasonic wave travelling model. Different-scale fluctuations and structure variations in the composite structure can result in random variations of the propagation velocity and systematic errors. A new proposed parameter, the degree of inhomogeneity I¾, introduced into the classical method, can effectively decrease the crack localization unavoidable errors due to inhomogeneities in masonry material.

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