Signatures of Plastic Instabilities and Strain Localization in Acoustic Emission Time-Series

Acoustic emission (AE) is a powerful tool for investigating the intermittency of plastic flow by capturing elastic waves generated by dislocation rearrangements under load. This study explores the correlation between AE and plastic instabilities, such as Lüders bands, the Portevin–Le Chatelier (PLC)...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Main Author: Alexey Vinogradov
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: MDPI AG 2025-01-01
Series:Metals
Subjects:
Online Access:https://www.mdpi.com/2075-4701/15/1/46
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
Description
Summary:Acoustic emission (AE) is a powerful tool for investigating the intermittency of plastic flow by capturing elastic waves generated by dislocation rearrangements under load. This study explores the correlation between AE and plastic instabilities, such as Lüders bands, the Portevin–Le Chatelier (PLC) effect, and necking, each showing distinct AE signatures. Lüders and PLC bands generate significant AE during discontinuous yielding, with a sharp rise in AE levels and a shift in the spectrum to lower frequencies—characteristic of localized deformation. In contrast, necking exhibits limited AE activity, due to reduced strain hardening and dislocation mobility during late-stage deformation. A phenomenological model, based on dislocation dynamics and initially devised for uniform deformation, is discussed to explain the observed AE spectral features during localized plastic flow. This study underscores AE’s potential for non-destructive evaluation and failure prediction in structural metals, emphasizing its sensitivity to microstructural changes and instabilities. Understanding AE behavior across deformation stages offers valuable insights into improving material reliability and predicting failure.
ISSN:2075-4701