The scientific development of acoustic emission testing first emerged in
the 1950’s, as a means of assessing the damage to civil structures and testing
durability under stress. The technique works through subjecting a structure to
stress by applying external thermal or mechanical pressure, subsequently
resulting in the sudden release of massive energy and the production of
acoustic waves which are monitored for signs of stress.
The technique was employed within many industries and continued to
develop up until the early 80’s, upon which the decline of heavy industry development
marked a period of downturn for acoustic emission testing. At this point, it
was no longer being used within one of the biggest fields of nuclear power, as
it was perceived as unsafe and unreliable to provide efficient results in such
a high risk environment.
However, the level of research committed to acoustic emission eventually
grew, and at a time which many civil structures and engineering projects built
in the mid-19th century now urgently required accurate integrity testing,
including essential shipping vessels and maritime engineering equipment,
acoustic emission monitoring was crucial to accurately assessing a structure.
As technologies quickly developed leading up to the millennium,
researchers and engineers were able to make use of advanced acoustic emission
monitoring equipment, providing clear insights into emission signals within
machinery. At this point, standards of use for acoustic emission testing was
developed and implemented by the International Organisation for
Standardization, in collaboration with the American Society of Mechanical Engineers and the
European Union.
In the maritime industry today, acoustic
emission is part of a thorough routine of repeated quality
testing under duress. Important factors for research also include the rate at
which the defective elements within a structure are worsening, as well
determining at which point a shipping vessel is approaching the end of its
service life. The technique is also valuable for detecting possible fractures
and corrosion forming in high pressure areas on vessels.
After the adoption of modern wave-form based analysis, advances allowed
for the development of highly accurate digital monitoring equipment. It is
predicted that researchers will continue to move away from traditional
statistical analysis and the corroboration of manual data, instead favouring
the digital visualisation of acoustic emission information through advanced
computer software and improvements in fidelity testing and equipment
sensitivity.
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