The current paper presents a novel approach to precisely locate and characterize an impact load in thick plates. The approach is based on the analysis of the acoustic waveforms measured by a sensor array located on the plate surface in combination with the theoretical Green's function for the plate. The Green's functions are derived based on either the exact elastodynamic theory or an approximate shear deformation plate theory. For accurate estimation of the location of the impact source, the time differences in the arrival times of the waves at the sensors and their propagation velocities are determined first. This is accomplished through the use of a combined higher-order time-frequency (CHOTF) method, which is capable of detecting signals with lower signal to noise ratio compared with other available methods. Since most of the energy in the wave is carried by the flexural waves (A0 mode), the group velocity of this mode is extracted using the CHOTF technique for estimating the impact source location. The estimates are shown to be in excellent agreement with the actual locations and time histories of the applied impact loads.
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