Utilization of Acoustic Emission Phenomenon and Its Applications in Mechanical Engineering

With increasing production rate in modern production lines and expectations of high speed and precision as well as minimum waste, the necessity of new and applied methods for monitoring and testing of components and equipment are increasingly sought after. Particularly, in experimental mechanics, Acoustic Emission Technique (AET) has demonstrated its potential and reliability over a period of three decades in certain mechanical applications. The obvious feature of this approach is on-line applicability which is matched with high production rate. In the past, AE method was done under supervision of operators, which requires more concentration than before with the advancement of automated systems. In this paper, attempts are made to address number of applications of AET and related researches being done in the last ten years in the field of mechanical engineering. These applications include: structural health monitoring, quality control, system feedback, process monitoring, and other mechanical applications. Finally, perspectives of future mechanical applications that the AE method could be used are discussed.