Analysis of titanium alloy pyramidal lattice core sandwich panels under bending load using acoustic emission

Abstract Due to their superior strength and shock resistance, lattice core sandwich panels (LCSPs) have potential applications in many fields. In this work, acoustic emission (AE) technology was adopted to monitor three-point bending tests of titanium alloy pyramidal LCSPs. Simultaneously, AE signals which were collected during the bending process were post-processed by cluster analysis. The AE signals can be divided into three classes which correspond to three damage modes, specifically face-sheet wrinkling, core member buckling and face-sheet crushing. These results offer guidance for deploying AE technology for structural health monitoring of titanium alloy pyramidal LCSP components during active service.