Acoustic Emission Testing

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Mobile Test ‘n’ Cal is pleased to announce that they have heavily invested in new digital
Acoustic Emissions Non-Destructive Testing testing technology to deliver to the
electrical, oil and gas, and a variety of other industries in Australia and New Zealand.

Acoustic Emission (AE) testing is a powerful method for examining the behaviour of
materials deforming under stress. The Acoustic Emission Non-Destructive Testing
(NDT) technique is based on the detection and conversion of high-frequency sound
waves into electrical signals. This is accomplished by directly coupling piezoelectric
transducers on the surface of the structure under test and loading the structure.
Sensors are coupled to the structure, and the output of each sensor (during structure
loading) is amplified through a low-noise preamplifier, filtered to remove any
extraneous noise and further processed by the acoustic emissions monitoring
system.

Small-scale damage is detectable long before failure, so AE can be used as a non-destructive technique to find defects during structural proof tests and plant operation.
AE equipment is adaptable to many forms of production testing, including weld
monitoring and leak detection.

Originally conceived as an NDT tool for pressure vessels, Acoustic Emission testing
(AE) has become much wider in scope. It is now applied to all types of process
monitoring as well as for its original purposes of flaw detection and structural integrity
inspection.

The technology is used to safeguard against catastrophic failures, to assess
structural integrity and to enhance safety in a wide range of structures from
fiberglass tanks to bucket trucks, from bridges and aircraft to high-pressure gas
cylinders. On the process monitoring side, AE is used for a wide range of
applications including leak detection, particle impacts, electrical discharges and a
variety of friction-type processes, just to name the most common.

The primary use of Acoustic Emissions Monitoring for Mobile Test ‘n’ Cal is the 2
yearly monitoring of fibreglass booms of MEWP’s as prescribed by AS/NZS 4748.
This standard stipulates that all booms must be monitored at a maximum of 2 yearly
periods or after any event causing possible structural damage.

There is an endless range of other applications and industries the technology is able
to be used in, so if you have any requirment for AE NDT whatsoever, please reach
out and we will be happy to assist in any way that we can.

Contact [email protected] for more information.

 

 

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