The use of acoustic emission in predicting the tensile strength of leather

This investigation is to establish a foundation for developing a nondestructive tester with an acoustic analyzer for predicting the tensile strength of leather. Observations showed an excellent correlation between the tensile strength of leather and the corresponding acoustic cumulative energy at break, read from an acoustic emission analyzer. Moreover, a linear relationship was observed between the acoustic cumulative energy at break and the initial acoustic cumulative energy when leather was stretched to 10 percent of it original length. More importantly, a correlation was observed between the initial acoustic cumulative energy and the tensile strength of leather. The implication of these phenomena is that the tensile strength of leather may be predicted without breaking the leather, by measuring the initial acoustic cumulative energy. The result of this study thus provides an essential base facilitating the possible design of a portable leather stretcher attached with an acoustic sensor. This would allow the prediction of tensile strength by measuring the cumulative acoustic energy during initial stretching without breaking or damaging the leather.