Optical calibration for both out-of-plane and in-plane displacement sensitivity of acoustic emission sensors.

The use of piezoelectric sensors for acoustic emission (AE) monitoring provides an extremely sensitive detection method of AE events. The sensors are used to detect the stress waves, resulting from an AE event, which arrive at the surface of a structure. The sensors provide high sensitivity, and are generally based on a high-Q design where the sensor is used to detect AE events around its resonance. Sensitivity calibration of these sensors is essential for accurate assessment of the AE measurement and particularly important for sensors mounted on safety critical structures. This paper proposes an optical method which enables both the out-of-plane and in-plane displacement sensitivity of an AE sensor to be established independently from each other. In the method, a laser homodyne interferometer is used to measure the out-of-plane and in-plane displacement of the surface of a large test block excited by a repeatable source transducer. The out-of-plane displacement is measured by aligning the laser beam perpendicular to the surface with time gating of the receive waveform used to isolate only the direct arrival of the longitudinal wave produced by the piston source transducer. For the in-plane displacement measurement, the laser beam is aligned parallel to the surface to intersect a small optically reflective step with the time waveform being gated to measure only the direct shear arrival produced using a normal incidence shear wave source transducer. In each case, the interferometer measurement is followed by coupling the sensor under test to the measurement surface, which is then exposed to the same acoustic field and the sensor output signal measured. This substitution method allows the sensor sensitivity to be obtained in terms of volts per unit displacement for both the out-of-plane and the in-plane surface displacement. The method provides a comprehensive description of an AE sensor response to different planes of displacement and offers the potential for a traceable sensor calibration to units of length.

Utilization of carbon nanofibers for airborne ultrasonic acoustic field detection using heterodyne interferometry.

Carbon nanofibers and nanotubes are currently being utilized as active elements in acoustic sensors for emerging microelectromechanical systems and nanoelectromechanical systems technologies. A methodology for measuring the displacement of carbon nanofibers in combination with heterodyne interferometry is reported here. Experimental results show that ultrasonic field detection is possible using this technique, and results are presented for measurements in the ultrasonic frequency range. This approach could potentially lead to new calibration methods for ultrasonic sensors. A different approach to that of interferometry is also reported for future investigation.

Acoustic emission transducers--development of a facility for traceable out-of-plane displacement calibration.

Acoustic emission (AE) is a widely used technique that has been employed for the integrity testing of a range of vessels and structures for many years. The last decade has seen advances in signal processing, such that the reliability of AE technology is now being recognised by a wider range of industries. Furthermore, the need for quality control at the manufacturing stage, and requirements of in-service testing, is encouraging the issue of traceable measurements to be addressed. Currently, no independent calibration service for acoustic emission transducers is available within Europe. The UKs National Physical Laboratory (NPL) is undertaking work to develop a measurement facility for the traceable calibration of AE sensors. Such calibrations can contribute to greater acceptance of AE techniques in general, by meeting quality system and other traceability requirements. In this paper the key issues surrounding the development of such a facility are reviewed, including the need to establish repeatable AE sources, select suitable test blocks and to understand the limitations imposed by AE sensors themselves. To provide an absolute measurement of the displacement on the surface of a test block, laser interferometry is employed. In this way the output voltage of an AE sensor can be directly related to the displacement detected at the block surface. A possible calibration methodology is discussed and preliminary calibration results are presented for a commercially available AE sensor, showing its response to longitudinal wave modes.