eVTOL aircraft undergo high-frequency vibration cycles from multiple distributed electric rotors, accelerating carbon fiber matrix cracking. This study evaluates real-time acoustic emission sensors identifying micro-delamination before structural failure.
Piezoelectric sensors listening in the 100 kHz - 1 MHz frequency band capture the distinct transient acoustic signatures emitted when epoxy matrix bonds shear, pinpointing damage locations with 5 mm spatial precision.
Full-scale fatigue testing of an eVTOL carbon composite boom demonstrated that the digital twin flagged internal delamination 240 flight hours before standard non-destructive ultrasound inspections detected the fault.