A study of damage accumulation in unidirectional glass reinforced composites via acoustic emission monitoring

Abstract Damage accumulation in continuous unidirectional glass reinforced composites was studied by acoustic emission (AE) monitoring during three‐point‐bend loading. Results are presented for four composites monitored during quasi‐static break loading, and one composite also monitored during cyclic fatigue and static creep loading. AE response was correlated with the mechanical (stress‐strain) response and with visual observation of damage events to study the details of the damage accumulation process. Results show that the failure process is characterized by the sequential occurrence of three distinct damage mechanisms. Specifically, the failure process initiated with cohesive matrix damage, propagated with interfacial debonding, and ended with fiber breakage very near catastrophic failure. The same sequential damage process occurred in all four composites and all three test procedures examined. Results also demonstrate that AE analysis, in combination with mechanical testing and microscopic observation, is a valuable tool in understanding damage accumulation in composites.