LR: Hearing is Believing

Lloyd's Register has developed jointly an acoustic emission monitor providing a unique approach to crack detection and monitoring.

When cracks in a structure grow, they produce ultrasonic stress waves, known as acoustic emissions (AE). Detection technology, based on AE, has been know for many years, but to date has not gained widespread industry acceptance.

Recent technological advances, however, coupled with constant equipment evolution, helped to ensure that a level of maturity has now been reached where it can be used reliably for structural assessment and monitoring purposes, particularly in the context of propogating fatigue cracks. LR, in association with Airbus and Ultra Electronics Ltd., Ocean Systems, developed a new generation AE-based equipment.

Known as BALRUE, it is touted as a novel AE monitoring system, designed with the specific objectives of first locating, and then determining the level of activity associated with fatigue cracks.

The system is flexible, allowing for continuous or intermittent monitoring depending on the conditions.

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Maritime Reporter Magazine, page 32, Mar 2002

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