How does the AE system locate the AE sources?

The AE source locating requires multiple channels AE system. There are a few common methods to locate the AE sources:

Time difference of arrival (TDOA) is using the arrival time differences, velocity, sensor distances and other parameters to calculate the detected AE source locations. TDOA is one of the commonly used location methods in AE system.

Zone location is a simple and approximate locating method used on composite materials such high frequency spectrum and large signal attenuation situations or limited channels situations.