Prediction of the Released Mechanical Energy of Loaded Lap Shear Joints by Acoustic Emission Measurements

In lightweight design, the usage of different optimised materials is widespread. The interfaces between two different materials are prone to damage and, therefore, the Structural Health Monitoring (SHM) of these areas is of interest. A new method for the damage evaluation of joints is developed and validated. The released mechanical energy (RME) during static loading of a metal–composite lap shear joint is considered as a damage assessment parameter and is set into relation to the detected Acoustic Emission (AE) energy. Eleven specimens with identical geometry but different surface treatments are used to form a statistical database for the method, i.e. to calculate the energy ratio and the fluctuation range, and the twelfth specimen is used for the validation of the method. The energy ratio varies significantly, but, considering the fluctuation analysis, the RME with a known range can be predicted on the basis of the AE signal. The whole process is repeated twelve times to validate the methodology. This method can be applied to different geometries and load cases without sophisticated modelling of the damage behaviour. However, load–displacement curves of the pristine joint need to be known, and the monitored joints need to be damage-tolerant and must show similar damage behaviour.