Cluster analysis of acoustic emission data to investigate the damage evolution in modified scarf joint under bi-axial loading

ABSTRACTNon-destructive monitoring of damage evolution within material or bonding assembly becomes an essential tool to better understand its mechanical behavior, and therefore to prevent failure risks of engineering structures that involve adhesive bonding matters. This paper presents the experimental results of monotonic tests that were conducted firstly to investigate the effects of bi-axial loadings (with different shear/peel ratios) on the mechanical damage evolution of metal/metal bonded joint, and secondly to both detect and identify the acoustic emission (AE) signatures of the different failure mechanisms involved in the bonded joint damage. Results from specimens with modified scarf joint show that the loading configuration (shear/peel ratio) strongly influences the normal stiffness of the adhesively-bonded joint. For each loading configuration, repetitive tests were performed, and loading rate effects on the mechanical behavior of adhesively-bonded joint were analyzed. In addition to these resul...