ACOUSTIC EMISSION ANALYSIS ON CFRP LAMINATES SUBJECTED TO OPEN HOLE TESTING

Abstract

Carbon Fiber Reinforced Plastic materials (CFRP) are widely used for aeronautical and aerospace applications since they offer high specific mechanical properties. However, their damaged behavior is quite concerning and, if these damages are not visible on the surface their use could become deeply dangerous if not properly monitored. It is therefore essential to detect, evaluate and analyze the several types of propagation of damage caused by static, cyclic and environmental effects. Acoustic Emission technique (AE) is an innovative practice that is providing good results in detecting and identifying CFRP damages. In this paper, the AE technique was applied to CFRP specimens subjected to open hole testing.