Acoustic-emission analysis of fracture-toughness tests

Acoustic-emission behavior of 300M steel was investigated as a function of the fracture toughness and microstructure. A model is presented to correlate acoustic emission arising from plastic deformation as well as crack growth during fracture-toughness tests and experimental data demonstrate that a quantitative relationship exists between fracture toughness, fracture mode and acoustic emission. Finally, it is shown that, while very limited information can be obtained by monitoring the cumulative counts alone, amplitude-distribution analysis of acoustic emission can provide an improved quantitative characterization.