A data-driven framework for early-stage fatigue damage detection in aluminum alloys using ultrasonic sensors

Susheel Dharmadhikari, Chandrachur Bhattacharya, Asok Ray, Amrita Basak

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

6 Scopus citations

Abstract

The paper presents a coupled machine learning and pattern recognition algorithm to enable early-stage fatigue damage detection in aerospace-grade aluminum alloys. U-and V-notched Al7075-T6 specimens are instrumented with a pair of ultrasonic sensors and, thereafter, tested on an MTS apparatus integrated with a confocal microscope and a digital microscope. The confocal microscope is focused on the notch root of the specimens, whereas the digital microscope is focused on the side of the notch. Two features, viz., the crack opening displacement (COD) and the crack length, are extracted during the tests in addition to the ultrasonic signal data. These signal data are analyzed using a machine learning framework that is built upon a symbolic time-series algorithm. This framework is interrogated for crack detection in the crack coalescence (CC) regime defined by COD of ~3 μm and detected through the confocal microscope. Additionally, the framework is probed in the crack propagation (CP) regime characterized by a crack length of ~0.2 mm and detected via the digital microscope. For the CC regime, training accuracies of 79.82% and 81.94% are achieved, whereas testing accuracies of 68.18% and 74.12% are observed for the U-and V-notched specimens, respectively. For the CP regime, overall training accuracies of 88.3% and 91.85% are observed, and accordingly, testing accuracies of 81.94% and 85.62% are obtained for the U-and V-notched specimens, respectively. The results show that a combined machine learning and pattern recognition algorithm enables robust and reliable fatigue damage detection in aerospace structural components.

Original languageEnglish (US)
Article number211
JournalMachines
Volume9
Issue number10
DOIs
StatePublished - Oct 2021

All Science Journal Classification (ASJC) codes

  • Control and Systems Engineering
  • Computer Science (miscellaneous)
  • Mechanical Engineering
  • Control and Optimization
  • Industrial and Manufacturing Engineering
  • Electrical and Electronic Engineering

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