Acoustic Emission Entropy for Evaluation of Fracture Toughness of HSLA Steel Welded Joint

Abstract

In this investigation, fracture toughness behavior of high strength low alloy (HSLA) steel welded joint was studied using acoustic emission (AE) monitoring. For the design of new structures and for the safety and reliability analyses of operating components, fracture toughness (KIC) values of materials play an essential role. Acoustic emission technique (AET) has been used for determination of fracture toughness based on some observable changes of AE evolutions. However, the occurrence of appreciable plasticity in materials, the friction between the crack surfaces and mechanical noise could generate high emission and may result in some difficulties in precise determination of fracture toughness. Thus, the objective of this study is to propose a new approach to evaluate fracture toughness values and to characterize the fracture process based on AE entropy. Specimens were selected from 2.25Cr-1Mo-0.25V steel welded joint which were thermally aged at 978 K for 8 h. The AE signals generated during fracture processes were recorded and the corresponding AE entropy was calculated based on the probability amplitude distribution from each original AE waveform. The point of crack initiation was identified by the occurrence of sudden rise of AE entropy and the corresponding critical load was used to estimate fracture toughness value. The estimated values obtained from the proposed new approach were compared with those determined by the methodology proposed by compact tension specimen testing according to ASTM standard E399. The results showed that the estimated values were in close agreement with those gained from ASTM standard. It was concluded that AE entropy was an effective parameter to estimate fracture characteristics and fracture toughness values.