Mechanical Behavior and Damage Mode Identification of Wind Turbine Blade GFRP Shear Webs Based on Acoustic Emission Detection Technology

This study investigates the acoustic emission (AE) response and damage mode characteristics of ±45° glass fiber-reinforced polymer (GFRP) composites used in wind turbine blade shear webs under quasi-static tensile loading. It aims to establish the relationship between AE features and three typical damage mechanisms—matrix cracking, interfacial debonding, and fiber fracture—to support damage assessment and structural health monitoring. Quasi-static uniaxial tensile tests with synchronous AE monitoring are conducted on specimens with three orientations (0°, 45°, and 90°). AE features are selected using correlation analysis and principal component analysis, and the HAC-initialized K-means clustering method is employed for damage mode identification. The optimal number of clusters is determined to be three, according to the Davies–Bouldin index (DBI) and the Silhouette index (SI). The resulting low-, mid-, and high-frequency clusters are associated with matrix cracking, interfacial debonding, and fiber fracture, respectively. These interpretations are further supported by wavelet-based time–frequency analysis and microscopic fracture surface observations.