• Journal of the Korean Institute of Electrical and Electronic Material Engineers
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• v.20 no.3
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• pp.218-222
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• 2007

In this study, Acoustic emission(AE) sensors were fabricated using lead-free piezoelectric ceramics for prohibiting environmental pollution. Structure of AE sensors were designed as Langvin type air backing form. Here, the piezoelectic element was used as PZT(EC-65)(AE1) and NKN(AE2), respectively. The measured resonant frequency, the maximum sensitivity frequency and sensitivity of AE sensors were as follows ; 143 kHz, 29.4 kHz and 69.3 dB in AE1 and 179 kHz, 29.4 kHz and 66.3dB in AE2, respectively.

• Composites Research
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• v.27 no.4
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• pp.152-157
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• 2014

Non-destructive testing methods of composite materials are very important for improving material reliability and safety. AE measurement is based on the detection of microscopic surface movements from stress waves in a material during the fracture process. The examination of AE is a useful tool for the sensitive detection and location of active damage in polymer and composite materials. FBG (Fiber Bragg Grating) sensors have attracted much interest owing to the important advantages of optical fiber sensing. Compared to conventional electronic sensors, fiber-optical sensors are known for their high resolution and high accuracy. Furthermore, they offer important advantages such as immunity to electromagnetic interference, and electrically passive operation. In this paper, the crack detection capability of AE (Acoustic Emission) measurement was compared with that of an FBG sensor under tensile testing and buckling test of composite materials. The AE signals of the PVDF sensor were measured and an AE signal analyzer, which had a low pass filter and a resonance filter, was designed and fabricated. Also, the wavelength variation of the FBG sensor was measured and its strain was calculated. Calculated strains were compared with those determined by finite element analysis.

• Journal of the Korean Society for Nondestructive Testing
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• v.27 no.6
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• pp.520-530
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• 2007

Combination of the parametric and the wavelet analyses of acoustic emission (AE) signals was applied to identify the failure modes in carbon fiber reinforced plastic (CFRP) composite laminates during tensile testing. AE signals detected by surface mounted lead-zirconate-titanate (PZT) and polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF) sensors were analyzed by parametric analysis based on the time of occurrence which classifies AE signals corresponding to failure modes. The frequency band level-energy analysis can distinguish the dominant frequency band for each failure mode. It was observed that the same type of failure mechanism produced signals with different characteristics depending on the stacking sequences and the type of sensors. This indicates that the proposed method can identify the failure modes of the signals if the stacking sequences and the sensors used are known.

• Proceedings of the Korean Society for Noise and Vibration Engineering Conference
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• 2008.11a
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• pp.687-692
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• 2008

In a nuclear power plant, loose part monitoring and its diagnostic technique is one of the major issues for ensuring the structural integrity of the reactor system. Typically, accelerometers are mounted on the surface of a reactor vessel to localize impact location caused by the impact of metallic substances on the reactor system. However, in some cases, the number of the accelerometers is not enough to estimate the impact location precisely. In such a case, one of alternative plan is to utilize another type sensors that can measure the vibration of the reactor structure even though the measuring frequency ranges are different from each others. The AE sensors installed on the reactor structure can be utilized as additional sensors for loose part monitoring. In this paper, we proposed a new method to estimate impact location by using both accelerometer signal and AE signal, simultaneously. The feasibility of the proposed method is verified by an experiment. The experimental results demonstrate that we can enhance the reliability and precision of the loose part monitoring.

• Computers and Concrete
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• v.20 no.5
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• pp.595-603
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• 2017

Piezoceramic transducers have been widely used in the health monitoring of civil structures. However, in most cases, they are used as sensors either to measure strain or receive stress waves. This paper proposes a method of using piezoelectric transducers as strain gauges and acoustic emission (AE) sensors simultaneously. The signals received by piezoceramic transducers are decomposed into different frequency components for various analysis purposes. The low-frequency signals are used to measure strain, whereas the high-frequency signals are used as acoustic emission signal associated with local damage. The b-value theory is used to process the AE signal in piezoceramic transducers. The proposed method was applied in the bending failure experiments of two reinforced concrete beams to verify its feasibility. The results showed that the extracted low-frequency signals from the piezoceramic transducers had good agreement with that from the strain gauge, and the processed high-frequency signal from piezoceramic transducers as AE could indicate the local damage to concrete. The experimental results verified the feasibly of structural health monitoring using piezoceramic transducers as strain gauges and AE sensors simultaneously, which can advance their application in civil engineering.

• Transactions of the Korean Society for Noise and Vibration Engineering
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• v.18 no.11
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• pp.1143-1149
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• 2008

In a nuclear power plant, loose part monitoring and its diagnostic technique is one of the major issues for ensuring the structural integrity of the reactor system. Typically, accelerometers are mounted on the surface of a reactor vessel to localize impact location cavsed by the impact of metallic substances on the reactor system. However, in some cases, the number of the accelerometers is not enough to estimate the impact location precisely. In such a case, one of alternative plan is to utilize another type sensors that can measure the vibration of the reactor structure even though the measuring frequency ranges are different from each others. The AE sensors installed on the reactor structure can be utilized as additional sensors for loose part monitoring. In this paper, we proposed a new method to estimate impact location by using both accelerometer signal and AE signal, simultaneously. The feasibility of the proposed method is verified by an experiment. The experimental results demonstrate that we can enhance the reliability and precision of the loose part monitoring.

• Transactions of the Korean Society of Mechanical Engineers A
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• v.22 no.3
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• pp.688-694
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• 1998

The ability to locate the defects in materials is one of the major attrations of the acoustic emission(AE) technique. The most conventional method for planar AE source localization is to place three or more AE sensors on the plate and to determine the source position by measuring the differences in the arrival times of the AE wave at the sensors, which is called as triangulation method. But this method can not be applied in the material of which elastic wave propagtion velocity is not known. In this paper, we propose two methods, vector method and error minimization method, for AE source location on the material with unknown AE wave velocity. In this method, it is not needed to know the propagation velocity previously, that is, we can apply this method to arbitrary material of which properties are not known exactly. Also, in this paper, the robustness to the error in the measurement of time differences are discussed for both methods. Finally, in order to evaluate the actual performances, experiments using a pencil lead break as the AE source were carried out on the aluminum plate.

• Journal of the Korean Institute of Electrical and Electronic Material Engineers
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• v.23 no.5
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• pp.383-387
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• 2010

The response characteristics of AE (acoustic emission) sensors with a coupled vibration mode and a non-coupled vibration mode were investigated according to PD(partial discharge) quantities in XLPE (cross linked polyethylene) sheets and craft papers immersed in insulating oil. The response voltages of a coupled vibration mode AE sensor were linearly proportional to the PD quantities up to 1,000 pC in XLPE sheets, while a non-coupled vibration mode AE sensor did not show the similar linearity. In case of a test of craft papers immersed in insulating oil, a linearity between response voltages and PD quantities was observed up to 550 pC, but after that, similar linearity between response voltage of any types of AE sensor and PD quantities was not shown.

• KSCE Journal of Civil and Environmental Engineering Research
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• v.26 no.5A
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• pp.917-925
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• 2006

Experimental tests were performed to estimate velocities of the acoustic signals through prestressed concrete beam and source locations using acoustic emission (AE) techniques. Seven AE sensors are mounted on the surface of 5m length test beam with equal spacing and using Schmidt Hammer AE events are made at 18 locations. The velocities of AE signals are estimated using the time differences of arrival times and the distances between the source locations and the AE sensor locations. In addition, using the Least Square Method, the AE source locations are re-evaluated reversely using both of the arrival times and the velocities of AE signals. Test results show the average velocity of the AE signals is about 4,000 m/sec and the velocity decreased with the increase of the distance from source locations to AE sensors due to the effect of attenuation. Based on the estimation of the source locations, it is observed that the errors of source locations are decreased when the velocities of each AE sensor are used rather than the average velocity.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Surveying, Geodesy, Photogrammetry and Cartography
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• v.24 no.3
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• pp.271-279
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• 2006

Acoustic Emission (AE) technology is an effective nondestructive testing for continuous monitoring of defect formation and failures in structural materials. This paper presents a source location model using Acoustic Emission (AE) sensors in a Pre-Stressed Concrete (PSC) beam and the evaluation of the model was performed through lab experiments. 54 AE events were made on the surface of the 5m-PSC beam using a Schmidt Hammer and arrival times were measured with 7AE sensors. The source location f3r each event was estimated using least squares. The results were compared with actual positions and the RMSE (Root Mean Square Errors) was about 2cm.