Abstract
Fiber-reinforced composites are extensively used in electronic, ship and aerospace applications due to their high strength and high toughess. In these applications, they are often subjected to localized heat damage due to various sources. In order to ensure their reliability, it is important to predict their residual properties using nondestructive evaluation thchniques. Fabric fiber composite specimens were manufactured with six layers of the glass-fiber prepreg and the carbon-fiber prepreg, respectively. The specimens were subjected to a localized heat damage using a heated copper tip with a diameter of 10mm at 35$0^{\circ}C$(CFRP) and 30$0^{\circ}C$(GFRP), respectively. The specimens were then subjected to tension tests while acoustic emission (AE) activities of specimens were collected. The AE activity of all specimens showed three types of distinct frequency regions. Those are matrix cracking, failure of the fiber/matrix interface and fiber breakage.