Acoustic emission-based delamination investigation in drilled GFRP under mixed tensile and bending cyclic loading

The drilling process can cause various defects in glass fiber-reinforced polymer (GFRP), such as delamination, which ultimately leads to damage progression, especially under fatigue loading. Therefore, the current study aims to investigate the progression of failure in drilled composites subjected to cyclic bending and tensile loads using acoustic emission (AE), image processing, and mechanical behavior monitoring. The results show tyhat the fatigue diagram consists of three stages associated with resistance of fibers and matrix against delamination propagation, stable delamination progression, and ultimate spread of failure which are accurately identified by AE and mechanical methods. Additionally, the pattern and procedure of all fatigue diagrams under all loading conditions were similar and independent of loading parameters. Results from this study provide a strategy for real-time structural health monitoring (SHM) of delamination propagation in GFRPs under multi-axial fatigue loading.