Acoustic Emission Monitoring

Acoustic emission monitoring detects the high-frequency stress waves released when materials crack, leak or deform under load. Sensors pick up these transient signals to find defects and leaks early, often before they are visible or affect performance.

When a material under stress develops a crack, or when fluid escapes through a leak, it emits bursts of high-frequency elastic waves. Acoustic emission monitoring places piezoelectric sensors on a structure or machine to capture these emissions in real time, distinguishing active, growing defects from static ones.

Because it responds to the act of damage occurring rather than to its current size, the technique is well suited to detecting crack growth in pressure vessels, pipelines and storage tanks, and to finding valve and gas leaks. Multiple sensors can also locate the source of an emission.

In condition-monitoring programmes acoustic emission complements vibration analysis and thermography, adding early detection of structural defects and leaks. It supports integrity inspections and helps schedule repairs before a defect propagates to failure.

Related terms

Condition Monitoring · Vibration Analysis · Predictive Maintenance (PdM) · Thermography (Infrared Inspection)