Wooden beam damage evaluation under bending loading based on the integration of acoustic emission and principal component analysis

Abstract

This paper proposes a comprehensive evaluation index based on the combination of acoustic emission (AE) technology and principal component analysis (PCA) to address the issue of low accuracy of any single AE parameter in identifying damage to wooden beams caused by accumulative damage. Four-point bending tests were conducted on wooden beams to monitor the process of performance degradation and evaluate damage progress. The results indicate that the proposed comprehensive evaluation index can divide the damage evolution process of wooden beams into four stages: initial compaction, elastic deformation, crack propagation, and instability fracture. These stages are consistent with the mechanical properties of wooden beams. The time of crack initiation can also be determined according to the comprehensive evaluation index value. The proposed wooden beam damage detection method based on the AE technique provides a reference for further research on the damage evolution mechanism of wooden structures and in situ monitoring methods.