Kistler Instruments’ Solution to Cavitation Monitoring in Water Turbines Using Acoustic Emission

 April 2019, MARIETTA, GA ~

Acoustic emission (or AE) may be defined as a transient elastic wave generated by the rapid release of energy within a material (source: ASTM E610-82). When a structure is subjected to an external stimulus (a change in pressure, load, or temperature), localized sources trigger the release of energy in the form of stress waves which propagate to the surface. This mostly occurs when a small surface displacement of the material is produced. Acoustic emission measuring chains are especially suitable for detecting these high-energy surface waves (above 50 kHz) on the surfaces of metallic components, structures or systems. In this respect, they are completely different from accelerometers designed to measure events from 0 Hz to 20 kHz. An acoustic emission sensor will only be sensitive to high-energy events, and will not see potentially perturbing vibration events (inherent high-pass filtering). For example, an AE sensor can easily detect cracking in a cutting tool without even seeing the vibration of the machine on which the tool is mounted.

Acoustic emission measuring chains as compared to a typical AE sensor, Kistler's 8152C sensor features a unique mounting and design approach that makes it suitable for higher operating temperatures up to 165 °C, industrial applications and hazardous environments where ATEX/CSA certifications may be required. The 8152C Piezotron AE sensor can be used to measure acoustic emissions from 50 kHz to 900 kHz.

For more information on Kistler’s 8152C sensors click here

To request pricing and availability, please contact FLW Southeast sales@flwse.com