Both finite difference and finite element techniques have been shown to be capable of modeling the propagation of acoustic emissions (AE) [1,2]. However, those calculations could also be done using the simpler Green's function methods [3]. In this work the finite element method is used to model a problem that includes complexities that cannot be handled using the Green's function methods.In particular, the effect of the presence of a macrocrack on the received signal is investigated. We assume that the macrocrack interacts only as a geometric structure from which sound may reflect and mode convert, thereby complicating the signal at the receiving transducer. Numerical calculations of the AE field due to an open crack are compared to the Green's function results in a solid with no flaw.
FINITE ELEMENT CALCULATIONSThe computer program DYNA2D[4] was used to calculate the acoustic field due to a dipole force near the tip of a simulated crack. The calculation assumed a two-dimensional, plane-strain geometry. The surface-breaking crack was about halfway through the thickness of a 6.35-mm (0.25-in.) steel plate. This geometry is similar to that used in fracture tests of surface-crack specimens monitored with acoustic emission signals [5]. A dipole stress, perpendicular to the plane of the crack, was applied to the region near the crack tip, simulating the dynamic stress that would be present when the crack grows.The grid is chosen to be made of quadrilateral elements about 0.2 mm on a side. The elements are square except in the region around the crack. The part is 32 elements thick; there are 73 elements to the right of the crack and 136 elements to the left. These last two distances were chosen so that a longitudinal wave from the crack would not reflect off the boundaries and return to a receiver 12.7 mm to the left of the crack.The forcing function is chosen to have a Gaussian shape in time with a rise time of about 0.16 ~s and a bandwidth of 3 MHz (20 dB). The minimum wavelength is then the shear wavelength, 1.07 mm, and the element size is less than one-fifth of this wavelength. The stress is also spread over three elements at the crack tip to prevent numerical noise.1503