Adaptive Algorithm for Estimating and Tracking the Location of Multiple Impacts on a Plate-Like Structure

Abstract : This paper presents a probabilistic approach to continuously track the sequential movement of the multiple impacts considered as acoustic emission (AE) sources. Continuous wavelet transform (CWT) analysis is used to determine the time of arrival (TOA) of the different AE hits by taking into account systematic errors due to the Heisenberg uncertainty. Then, the Extended Kalman Filter (EKF) is applied to simultaneously estimate the locations of impact points and the group velocity of the involved Lamb waves at a specific frequency. To validate the performance of the proposed probabilistic approach, including uncertainties from modeling error and measurement noise, experiments on a copper panel are performed using AE hits generated by Pencil-Lead Breaks (PLBs). Measurements help appreciate robustness of the proposed approach with consequent potential applications in structural health monitoring of industrial parts and structures.