A novel damage localization method of Circular Phased Array using Minimum Variance Distortionless Response Beamforming with Autocorrelation Matrix Diagonal Loading

Damage localization methods based on Acoustic Emission (AE) can be classified into time-based and waveform-based. However, the former requires a large number of sensors while the latter is limited to 2D plane localization. In order to address the challenge of achieving more accurate 3D localization using a reduced number of sensors, this paper proposes a Circular Phased Array using Minimum Variance Distortionless Response (MVDR) Beamforming with Autocorrelation Matrix Diagonal Loading (AMDL) method. Firstly, a sparse circular array is utilized to form multiple beamforming for coherent shear wave signals, decomposing the original 3D localization problem into Direction Of Arrival (DOA) estimation. Secondly, azimuth angle, elevation angle and autocorrelation matrix diagonal loading methods are introduced, working in conjunction with the MVDR beamforming algorithm. Finally, spatial integration is performed through matrix decomposition to solve geometric overdetermined equations. The effectiveness of the proposed method is validated through numerical simulations and experimental verifications under various damage conditions. Results indicate that estimation errors for azimuth and elevation angles are both less than 2 %, while 3D damage source localization errors remain within a range of less than 3 %. This proposed method extends beamforming technology from 2D plane localization to 3D localization, significantly reducing the complexity of sensor arrangement and lowering the cost of structural health monitoring systems by utilizing a small number of sensors.