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ASTM Selected Technical Papers
Acoustic Emission
By
RG Liptai
RG Liptai
1
Head
,
Mechanical Engineering Structural Test and Evaluation, Lawrence Livermore Laboratory
,
Livermore, Calif.
;
symposium general chairman
Search for other works by this author on:
DO Harris
DO Harris
2
Director of Research
?
Dunegan Research Corp.
,
Livermore, Calif.
;
symposium co-chairman
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CA Tatro
CA Tatro
3
Head
,
Mechanical Engineering Materials Test and Evaluation, Lawrence Livermore Laboratory
,
Livermore, Calif.
;
symposium co-chairman
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ISBN-10:
0-8031-0116-3
ISBN:
978-0-8031-0116-6
No. of Pages:
343
Publisher:
ASTM International
Publication date:
1972

Acoustic emission testing (AET) is being used by fracture mechanics and nondestructive test engineers to establish the design adequacy, structural integrity, and operating safety of petroleum and petrochemical equipment. Used as a tool in the application of fracture mechanics concepts, AET of heavy wall pressure vessels during hydrostatic testing also provides the means of assuring against catastrophic brittle fracture by locating growing defects. The state-of-the-art in developing effective electronic instrumentation and flaw site triangulation methods has reached the point where AET should be considered competitive with other, more commonly specified test methods.

For onstream surveillance, AET has the potential for the detection of service induced flaws and for detecting potentially detrimental changes in material properties. The amplitude and frequency content of environmental noise can however, limit applications of this type. Although techniques are available for minimizing the reception of unwanted electrical and mechanical sources of noise, additional effort is needed in this area to facilitate widespread inservice use.

Other areas requiring further research and development effort and the development of standards, include flaw signature analysis, signature analysis characteristics for various materials, simplified instrumentation, acoustic parameter selection, the effect on signals of environmentally induced materials property changes, and data display.

1.
Cross
,
N. O.
, “
Acoustic Emission Technique for Insuring Safe Hydrostatic Tests of Pressure Vessels
,”
American Society of Mechanical Engineers
, Report 70-PET-31.
2.
Bedesem
,
W. B.
and
Clarke
,
J. S.
, “
Prevention of Catastrophic Brittle Fracture of Heavy-Wall Pressure Vessels
,”
American Society of Mechanical Engineers
, Report 68-PUP-4.
3.
Irwin
,
G. R.
,
Engineering Fracture Mechanics
 0013-7944, EFMEA, Vol.
1
, No.
2
,
08
1968
.
4.
Hutton
,
P. H.
, “
Detection of Incipient Failure in Nuclear Reactor Pressure Systems Using Acoustic Emission
,”
1969
, BNWL-997,
Battelle Memorial Institute, Pacific Northwest Laboratory
, Richland, Wash.
5.
Waite
,
E. V.
and
Parry
,
D. L.
,
Materials Evaluation
 0025-5327, MAEVA, Vol.
29
, No.
6
,
06
1971
.
6.
Lucey
,
G.
, Jr.
,
Journal of the Acoustical Society of America
 0001-4966, JASMA, Vol.
43
, No.
6
,
1968
.
7.
Flores
,
Ivan
in
Computer Sorting
,
Prentice-Hall
,
New York
,
1969
.
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