Velocity-Free Acoustic Emission Source Localization for Complex Structures Using Any-Angle Pathfinding Algorithm

Area of Science:

• Materials Science
• Geophysics
• Structural Health Monitoring

Background:

• Accurate acoustic emission (AE) source localization is crucial for structural health monitoring.
• Complex structures present challenges due to non-straight wave propagation and difficulty in velocity modeling.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop a velocity-free AE source localization method for complex structures.
• To improve localization accuracy by optimizing wave propagation path estimation.

Main Methods:

• Integration of the Anya algorithm for any-angle pathfinding to estimate optimal propagation paths.
• Formulation of a velocity-free objective function under a weak anisotropy assumption.
• Validation through AE pulse experiments on a granite specimen with holes.

Main Results:

• The proposed method achieved an average location error of 19.02 mm.
• This error is significantly lower than traditional methods (38.14 mm) and grid-based velocity-free methods (22.90 mm).
• Demonstrated applicability to 2D or extruded 3D structures.

Conclusions:

• The velocity-free, any-angle pathfinding method offers a feasible and accurate approach for AE source localization in complex environments.
• Eliminates the need for precise wave velocity models, simplifying the localization process.
• Provides a robust framework for structural health monitoring applications.