Abstract
Clashes between space debris and spacecraft in orbit may cause air leakages, which pose a substantial danger to the crew and the spacecraft. Lamb wave dispersion in spacecraft structures and the randomness of leak holes are the difficulties in leak location. To solve these problems, a frequency weighting matrix beamforming algorithm is proposed in this paper. The elastic Lamb waves that are caused by leakages are acquired by an ‘L’ shaped sensor array consisting of eight acoustic emission sensors. The angle of a leak can be obtained through the superposition of different time delays, and the intersection of two angles can be used to find the location of the leak. Traditional beamforming is improved by matching the wave speeds in different frequency bands and weightings according to the energy distribution. Narrowband filtering is used to delay overlay different signal speeds with different frequency bands via a dispersion curve. The weighting method is used to compensate the frequency band response of different leak holes. The detailed location algorithm process is introduced and verified by experiments. For 1.5 and 2 mm leak holes, location direction accuracies of 1.33° and 1.93° for one sensor array were obtained, respectively.
Highlights
Orbital objects, such as meteoroids and space debris, are among the serious and inevitable threats to spacecraft [1]
10, 1201 traditional algorithm and the frequency weighting matrix beamforming (FWMB) algorithm proposed in this paper
This paper proposes a frequency weighting matrix beamforming algorithm to solve the problem of locating continuous leaking sound sources in plate structures
Summary
Orbital objects, such as meteoroids and space debris, are among the serious and inevitable threats to spacecraft [1]. Collisions caused by debris larger than 10 cm can be avoided by using databases that are compiled by debris-tracking systems [2]. Strikes by objects that are smaller than 10 cm lack an efficient detecting approach. A collision may damage the bulkhead of the spacecraft, causing internal pressure to leak, which seriously threatens the flight and the safety of astronauts and leads to severe consequences [3]. The detection and location of leakages would be of significant use for spacecraft in orbit. For the problem of leak source location, some related findings have been reported. The currently representative methods include the optical imaging method [4], Appl.
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
