Sound-tracking of failure events in cross-ply composite laminates under tension

The methodology being presented is an attempt to exemplify how a typical mechanical testing can be accompanied by easy to access, affordable pieces of equipment, but to reach a level of information substantially beyond somewhat standard practices. Fingerprints of discrete crack and damage formations during tensile testing are collected by a general purpose noise-reducing microphone in conjunction with a digital video microscope. Six cross-ply-like, specially orthotropic laminates, (0/90(5))(s), (0(3)/90(3))(s), (0(5)/90)(s), (0/90)(3s), (90/0)(3s) and (90(3)/0(3))(s) are studied. Mechanical test results suggest that the current methodology is able to identify progressive failure events/regimes characterized by unique audio signal profiles. Access to Supplementary video and audio recordings are also provided to discuss and validate the efficiency and benefits of the proposed approach. (C) 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.