CHAPTER 10 ACOUSTIC EMISSION TESTING 1. HISTORY AND DEVELOPMENT The word “acoustic” is detived from the Greek word abouts, which fas to do with “hearing” For centres, the recur to stl collage hate sounds ha ae emited prior tothe Ine of supporting member. A toe branch emit cracking sound tori actualy teats and stepping ono thine pofce sounds that war of pend ing elas. Acoitc emission (AE) inthis frm to the ears wha visa nspecton tothe ees, Th analyse of thee emissions has become scence in el. ‘Acoustic emission testing (AET has become a recognized nendestucive test (NDT) method comment wed to diet a leete ful in mechani Toad scares and ‘omponsnts. AE can prove comprehensive infrmaton onthe aigination ofa discon ‘uty (aw) ina suesed component ad also proviesinfermatonpersining to the de ‘clpment ofthis flaw asthe component i subjected to continous o epee stress, Discounts in somponents ease energy asthe component ie Fubjeced to te- hunicalouding or sss This nergy tavele inthe form of igh reqney sess waves, Theve waves or osilatins are veaeved with he we of bers (rane) hf conver th ery ints vliage. This voltage ceetoneall amplified snd wth he se fining cv is Taher processed at AE signal ds, Analysis ofthe collected data comprises the characterization ofthe recived vole (sgl) acordng Wo ther source Tecatian, voliage intensity ad frequency ont “The major dferenee between the AE method of NDT and the ote NDT methods ie that hi method is pasive, whereas the eter na sense, ae forthe moe pat sete. With uieasoni, cogrphic or the other NDT meth, he sure of informations Se rived by crea some eect in or onthe mateal by exteral application of energy or compounds. AE rele on energy a its win the component oe material under “Te oxpination of the method is trite to. Kaiser inthe 1950. The sounds emit ted during crack growth boame anise of scene invetigton during the 1960 As the technology developed, AE became scoped as NDT seth. Separating heeft Information fom the Dekground noise asthe challenge fhe inarament veoper Maturity ofthe techaaogy Ted tothe ongoing ivetignton ino the micromesbanial roses that produce tes emissions vain various neil “The technology involves the ure of lttesnie sensors (20 Khz-1 Mh) that sen for ‘he sounds of mater and stractral fue. Aus misson Tequecis se wll ib ‘he range of 150-300 Kl, which above the fequeney of nil sound. Crack growth sie to hygzogen eminent, fatigue, sess coro, an rep ean be detected ad located with he use of his technology High essue leas ean also be detected ai yorIsted, AE technology’ also becoming commonly applicable to nondstntive testing for Suc neg of sructare made fom compost materials 2. PRINCIPLES OF ACOUSTIC EMISSION TESTING The AET proces iil in Figure 10-1 It begins with fores ating on a body te ‘esulng ress the tli ht cases deformation a with acoatc emission. The Stes es onthe mater and produces lel pate deormatio, which i reakdown of ‘he materal at specific paces This ister feakdow oducts acoustic eso: a laste wave that raves outward fom te sure, moving trou the body unl itarives ta remote sensor. In espns the enor produces an electra ial, which spased ‘o elevtonic equipment fr Tuner processing. 2.4 Acoustic Emission Sources 242 Sires [As previously mentioned, the AE process begins with sues. Stes is 2 falar concep to enginerngpesonpel, Is ke an itemal force eld in suture tha ansmis and Talances the extemallyinposed forces (load). Depending ons drectonal properties, ses nay be desorbed as tens compressive, bending, sear, otosin. Sues is meas ‘red in pounds per square nck js (ilograms per cease) To calcul stress, te owe pounds) i ivi by the are hat eres eae inches. SKrese canbe thought of ar thre dimensional ii ving different components in iret directions at eck poit in astute In response to sues, the suet of the rmteial changes in shape This change in shape sealed “iran” The material defor lasically and if the stress is high enough wll deform plassally 3s well “Pasi” in ths context means "permanent" lati deformation involves a permanent change inte ‘elaive positon ofthe ats nthe tel stare On the stories pla defor =i SIGNAL [= ELECTR( STIMULUS. tin < la~ (FC FIGURE 10-1 Schematic ofthe acu emis rics. SENSOR‘nation involes the sliding f sromic planes over one ano, trough the ageney of Slomi.seale regularities known at dsocations, The movers! of dislocations isthe ‘mlroseopic mechani that under the prose changes in shape tae recognized = Yveling, Buckling, denting, ee Acousic emison tht esl fom the moves of de locations, or “sa,” have ben extensively studied wit special abraoy techniques ‘Other Kinds of pennanet deformtion take place when materials weak and ne = ‘aoe ate created Ona crscopc real inside a pice of tel te materi most ly to beak ae specks of slie, oxide, and eabide, and ater nonmealie mesial, THe Salest ofthese tems re he carbide “recipi scattered win the mt gaits, fo example, microscope plates of iro carbide, only a few hundred atoms hick, distributed in*pearite colonies" These prcinttes py» bg pt in governing theses mechan ‘a properties. On larger scale, the ae nonmetallic "plus Tying betwen te rea grain, suchas manganese slide "singers" formed dfng te rling of he sel lt and slg schason nrduced dng welding, There may sso be nontali ot= fesion products intimately eonected to the mata sfc. Al these nonmetal compo= ‘ens ae lest dice than the malic mace ia which they ae embedded. As resale {hey bre mae easly when the metal i snes, The breaking ofthese nonmetallic ‘component isthe mai source ofthe acoustic emission observed hen rk fre metals sre deformed ‘When metal is cracked, tee i a diferent kindof acoustic emission souce and this one is he most inportnt in nondesretive esting. The oseirence ofa crack insta ‘reates anew sure, This sama dye fo stactre's ingen als the best ‘ecopnied source of bigh-amplitde acoustic emisions. Detection of emission fom {rowing acs as boon he most commen goal he many applietion af AL tehnolo- by. When esurface-treaking crack grows, the strctre opens up in response othe Pl oes. This far more seus than he opening ofa inclusion, which would end tonnave no more than loa effect. Therefore, sacks end to proce higher ample ‘enlsthat are more ready dstctable 'As wel a casing nrge-amplide AE waves as they progress, erscks prods smal: ampliude AE waves tm material deformation st te eck tip Emision can also be reduced fom te rubbing or “tng” of era srlees a they spen an close and ‘rnd in response to changing lends. Crtesion products forming on he crack sures am enhance hs emission, which make the erack even sore emisive, ‘When mater na component deers sn expose to a ype of loading, the defo ration tends fo relieve and smooth out the local sesce. This mane tht after an couse emision event hasten plce, the elastic energy stored inthe ses flé will have been reduced; some of wil hve been relessed. The energy rlesse from the ste felis used create new deformation ha wl wa he marl and produce the ‘cous emisio, Sted another way, the sure of the soos emission ergy the neray stored inthe clase sees Geld produced bythe loacng ofthe sactre Aeoosis Emissions produced atte sous, as ashot pulse of elas and ise enersy that = {trough the material a an li wave, The theory of frequency spectra stows that, Being a shor impulse, he wave caries energy a ll eguents frm very Too som big upper iit onthe exer of 1000 Az higher. Experience a sho ht igh sestvty to these emisions is most xsl achieved by using contact Sensors in he up er para this requncy range, been TOD KHz and 50 Ke ‘Some ofthe low-frequency emission (approximately $0 zt 15 kia), if bey ae Jo enough, ean he heard. This coun the dea tht the eneay of acoustic isons s send over avery wide fequene range andthe theory at AE compass equences all te way down to zero is evidenced by the largest aot emission of earth ‘wakes, wich shake bullingsutdeed les any at equencies of few bet and