Acoustic emission study of fatigue cracks in materials used for AVLB

The Armored Vehicle Launch Bridge (AVLB) is subjected to cyclic loading during launching as well as during tank crossings. The cyclic loading causes cracks to initiate in critical bridge components, and then to propagate. Unless these cracks are detected and repaired before they rapidly grow to reach their critical stage of propagation, the failure of bridge components can occur. Three AVLB components, the splice doubler angle, the splice plate, and the bottom chord, are susceptible to fatigue damage. In the present study, laboratory fatigue tests on the materials used for the components, aluminum 2014-T6, aluminum 7050-T765, and ASTM A36 steel, were conducted using the acoustic emission (AE) fatigue crack monitoring technique. A total of fourteen compact-tension specimens were prepared in this study: six aluminum 2014-T6, four aluminum 7050-T76511, and four ASTM A36 steel specimens. The characteristics of AE signals associated with the stress intensity factor, K, were obtained to understand AE behavior corresponding to the fatigue crack growth in the materials. Several AE parameters, such as AE counts, energy, and hits, have been shown to be useful tools for detecting cracks, providing early warnings, and preventing failure of the AVLB structures. A major jump in AE count rate as well as AE hit rate occurred when K-max reached a value of about 30 MPa rootm (27 ksirootin.) for aluminum 2014-T6 specimens and about 50 MParootm(46 ksirootin.) for aluminum 7050-T76511 specimens. Also, AE source location techniques were able to successfully locate the path of crack propagation.