Acoustic Emission, Fatigue, and Crack Propagation

Acoustic emission was used in conjunction with tensile tests to evaluate the condition of structural steel specimens subject to various tensile fatigue lives. The results indicate that the acoustic emissions detected were the result of plastic deformation. There was no apparent relationship between fatigue history of the steel specimens and the amount of plastic deformation they can accommodate. Further tests revealed that acoustic emission has the physical capability of detecting cracks on large structural steel members. This may prove beneficial for the comprehensive testing of steel bridges