Acoustic Emission Analysis

Acoustic emission analysis uses a piezoceramic sensor to measure sound waves in the frequency range from 10 kHz to 10 MHz. These sound waves are generated during microcrack formation in the material, usually due to the action of an external force. This sound emission can often be detected earlier than a macroscopic change of the material is visible and is therefore excellent as an “early warning system” for process monitoring in manufacturing or for the occurrence of earthquakes.

The same technology can also be used to monitor machines. Changes in the recorded frequency spectrum can indicate wear of tools or machine parts or can be used to optimize process parameters.

Elsys offers solutions for acoustic emission analysis in cooperation with partners:

Pre-Amplifier with HV Pulser and Multiplexer

The AE-Amp preamplifiers can be used with various sensors. They are available as a 2-channel boxed version and as a rack version with up to 48 channels. The rack version also has a built-in multiplexer that makes it possible to send a high-voltage pulse to one of the sensors in order to use it as an actuator. This allows changes in the material’s transit time to be determined during a test. The high-voltage pulse is generated by the HVP-500, which enables pulses from 50 to 500V and a length of 1µs to 1ms.

Data Acquisition

As a data acquisition device, the TraNET EPC is best suited for acoustic emission analysis where many channels and high sampling rates are used. The TraNET EPC can either record the signals continuously or trigger on specific events using ECR (Event Controlled Recording).

Software

TranAX

The TranAX software is used to configure the measurement hardware. The measurement data can also be displayed in real time. The formula editor can be used for evaluation or the measurement data can be exported and further processed in Matlab or Python.

InSite-Lab

InSite-Lab from Applied Seismology Consulting Ltd is an application-specific software for data acquisition, processing, management and visualization, which was developed explicitly for applications in the field of acoustic emissions and ultrasonic surveying. The software is typically used in rock testing laboratories or in the field for localized rock testing experiments and rock mass monitoring. Software features include:

• Event detection and triggering from data streams
• Automatic algorithms for arrival picking, source location and source parameters
• Display of colour density sonograms and polarization diagrams
• Display of event locations in a 3D scene
• Velocity analysis for “active” data to determine velocity and amplitude information

InSite can interact directly with the Elsys hardware and analyze measurement results live. It is also possible to carry out post-evaluations on Elsys files via the file import.

jBeam

jBEAM Lab is a comprehensive post-processing software from Kistler with extensive analysis functions and the possibility of visualization and reporting for general research and development. For analysis of spectra and spectrograms for acoustic emission measurements on machines, jBEAM offers extensive possibilities. jBEAM can directly import Elsys TPC5 files.