Acoustic Emission as a Tool of Fatigue Assessment

A series of laboratory investigations concerned about fatigue assessment with acoustic emission method was presented. Fatigue aspects including cumulative fatigue damage, fatigue crack growth and creep-fatigue interaction were considered. As a basic approach, residual strength and acoustic emission characteristics of fatigue damaged materials were considered from the nominal stress-life (S-N) viewpoint. Acquired signal indicated that counts emission quantity can be a good measure of cumulated fatigue damage. In the fatigue crack growth approach, interrelationship between acoustic emission parameter and stress intensity factor was examined with different stress level and crack length. Experimental results were somewhat scattered since sensitive characteristics of acoustic emission method. However, their empirical relation indicated that counts rate correlated with fracture mechanics parameter. Finally, acoustic emission application was extended to the creep-fatigue interaction at elevated temperature. Emission response under each damage mode was compared and characterized. Based on these characteristics, creep-fatigue interaction was evaluated by use of acoustic emission parameter. Overall investigations concluded acoustic emission is very effective tool of fatigue assessment.