Acoustic Emission Monitoring of In-Service Large-Sized Structures

The acoustic emission (AE) monitoring technique has the potential for performing an effective monitoring of the integrity of large-sized structures, like those in Civil and Mechanical Engineering, by means of a small number of sensors. Based on this method, an on-site application of the AE technique was conducted in order to locate the damaged zones in a carbon fiber reinforced concrete beam tested in bending. We used the AE technique also to assess and evaluate the current condition and operational capability of an in-service double girder bridge crane. The AE sensors were applied on one of the two beams of the bridge crane to diagnose and solve possible issues related to micro structural degradation phenomena. In both cases, localization and evolution of possible damage process were characterized from the received AE signals exploiting different inversion methods based on a seismological approach. The final goal will be to perform machine prognosis and calculate life expectancy of these bearing structures.