Acoustic emission source location in orthotropic steel decks based on topology-aided multi-objective optimization and A0 arrival time correction

Acoustic emission (AE)-based damage location in orthotropic steel decks (OSDs), typical thin-walled spatial structures, remains challenging due to the multi-solution problem induced by complex wave propagation paths. This study proposes a robust AE location method based on topology-aided multi-objective optimization and A0 arrival time correction. Here, the multi-objective optimization model is presented by fusing the location error function and modal analysis. A topology relationship is further established between objective function and vertex numbers to aid the search process, and an initial arriving component informed A0 arrival time correction strategy is brought forward for a more accurate location. Non-dominated sorting genetic algorithm II (NSGA-II) is utilized to obtain the Pareto optimal set of the optimization model and its center is determined as the estimated damage location. Experimenting on a full-scale OSD specimen proved the capability of the proposed method in accurately locating damage sources originating from both the deck plate and U-rib. It demonstrated superior performance compared to the traditional optimization-based method and counterpart method without arrival time correction.